Shadows Left Behind on Fort Hamilton Parkway

There's a flyer going around with these before and after photos of the pedestrian islands that were recently removed from Fort Hamilton Parkway after residents and politicians complained.

The flyer, titled "Our Tax Dollars at Work!" says that the city "quietly removed these medians hoping no one would notice. The shadows of the trees remain as a reminder of this costly boondoggle to all involved."

Sadly for the trees, and the taxpayers who payed for them, they were most likely turned into mulch. "Typically, trees that are mature enough to be planted on city streets or in traffic medians do not survive transplantation," said Andrew Newman, Project Coordinator for MillionTreesNYC, over email. "The logistics involved in moving them, considering this high mortality rate, aren’t usually worth the time or cost involved."

It doesn't seem the medians were removed so quietly, though, what with all the fuss Assemblyman Dov Hikind made, but this is still a pretty interesting piece of work. I haven't been over to see it, but I'm curious if these "shadows" are painted on the street. Anyone know the details?