Our home was built in '82 and a soft maple was planted in our front yard the following year, making it a 31 years old. We are the 3rd owner of the home. The tree is now very tall with a base of about 4 ft in diameter. Six years ago, I installed landscape brick lining our property and lining our driveway. The tree is approximately 3 feet from the edge of the driveway. When I installed the brick, there was a root leading underneath the driveway but was nowhere close to the surface. The root is now at the surface and has pushed up the landscape brick lining the driveway. The root is about 7 inches in diameter itself.

I realize I will not be able to get the root to "go back down," however, what damage would I encounter if I cut the root off as it leads under the driveway? I don't want to damage the tree but I also would like to be able to get my landscape brick back in order.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.