San Bernardino, Caltrans Partner to Address Homeless Encampments Along Freeways
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The agreement will authorize city-led cleanups and outreach for three years. Photo by Manny Sandoval
The City of San Bernardino and the California Department of Transportation have finalized an agreement that authorizes the City to address homeless encampments, litter, debris, and graffiti located along State freeway corridors within its city limits.
San Bernardino joins twelve other cities across California that have taken over this responsibility from the State.
The Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement, which was approved by the San Bernardino City Council on June 3 and signed by Caltrans on July 17, allows the City to perform cleanup and maintenance services on Caltrans-owned right-of-way along Interstate 10, Interstate 215, State Route 210, and other designated State highway corridors, including State Highway 18, Route 66 and a portion of Highway 330.
The State will reimburse the City of San Bernardino up to $400,000 for work performed under the agreement.
“This agreement represents an important step forward to address homeless encampments along our freeways,” Mayor Helen Tran said. “For too long, jurisdictional barriers have limited our ability to address these areas.”
In addition to removing encampments and improving the appearance of freeway corridors in San Bernardino, the City will coordinate outreach efforts to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with shelter, housing, and supportive services before encampments are removed whenever feasible.
Until now, the City has been unable to address encampments located on Caltrans-owned property. The new agreement gives the City the authority to perform maintenance and encampment abatement activities along freeway corridors while following State guidelines and safety requirements.
The agreement authorizes the City to remove both Priority Level 1 encampments, which pose an immediate threat to life, health, safety, or critical infrastructure, and Priority Level 2 encampments in accordance with State guidelines. City crews will also be empowered to remove litter, debris, and graffiti from designated State right-of-way areas to improve the cleanliness and appearance of San Bernardino’s major transportation corridors.
To help support the program’s implementation, San Bernardino intends to partner with the Center for Employment Opportunities, providing workforce assistance while creating employment opportunities for individuals re-entering the workforce.
Caltrans will reimburse the City for eligible costs including labor, contracted services, equipment, disposal, hazardous material handling, traffic control, outreach coordination, and documentation. The City will work closely with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol to ensure cleanup operations are conducted safely and in compliance with State requirements.
“Residents deserve clean, safe freeway corridors, and people experiencing homelessness deserve the opportunity to connect with services that can help them move toward stable housing,” Tran said. “This partnership allows us to do both by combining compassionate outreach with timely action to restore these public spaces.”
