Mayor Gloria to Highlight Progress on Cleaning Up Encampments along Freeways Around Downtown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Oct 27, 2025

CONTACT:
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SAN DIEGO - Roughly 90 days into an agreement that Mayor Todd Gloria reached with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) that allows City workers to address unsafe and unsanitary encampments along a portion of state freeways, the Mayor on Tuesday will detail the progress the City has made in clearing encampments, disposing of garbage and debris, and connecting encampment residents with shelter and housing.

Mayor Gloria will be joined by State Sen. Catherine Blakespear and City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.

Since the agreement was signed in July:

• Crews have cleaned up 184 encampments
• Workers have removed 151 tons of trash and debris
• Outreach workers have connected 43 people to services and shelter, and an additional 37 to other types of services

The maintenance agreement with Caltrans covers a 5-mile stretch of state freeways that run through Little Italy, Downtown, Sherman Heights, East Village, and Barrio Logan. In addition to connecting people experiencing homelessness to care and more quickly resolving unsafe encampments along freeways and access ramps, the agreement also will free up Caltrans crews to conduct much-needed maintenance elsewhere in the region.

Under the agreement for this one-year pilot program, the State of California will reimburse the City for up to $400,000 of its costs to clean up and address encampments along State right of way and to connect individuals to appropriate housing or shelter. The City is also committing financial resources through this agreement, using existing abatement teams to conduct additional operations along targeted areas of state property.

The pilot covers the following spans of state right-of-way in and around downtown:

• Interstate 5 from the Coronado Bridge to Laurel Street (3.5 miles)
• State Route 163 from Ash Street to Interstate 5 (0.4 miles)
• State Route 94 from 17th Street to 30th Street (1.1 miles)

This year, Mayor Gloria sponsored Senate Bill 569, authored by Sen. Blakespear, which would require Caltrans to coordinate closely with cities and counties to develop district-specific plans, advisory committees, and contracting mechanisms to more swiftly address and clear homeless encampments on state highway-owned property. The bill will be considered by the Legislature in 2026.

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