WSDOT begins removal of infamous homeless encampment under I-5 Ship Canal Bridge

One of the most infamous highway homeless encampments in Washington entered its final stages of clearing out. Thursday, Washington State Department of Transportation began removing the tent community sprawling under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge. 

WSDOT said for the next couple of weeks crews would clear out several months’ worth of debris. Outreach workers said as many as 30 people were living on right of way during that time. The camp became a magnet for drugs, debris, and at least one deadly shooting. 

"None of us feel like being next to a highway is a safe place for someone to live," said Chloe Gale of REACH.

REACH is a program helping people living in homeless encampments on right of ways. She said, this week, 14 people from the camp accepted REACH’s connections to housing.

"We had to really work with them to understand what’s prevented you from getting inside before, how can we work with that and ensure that you get the services and the care that you need," said Gale.

While some people chose to find the next spot on their own, Gale said REACH worked for months finding housing, treatment and jobs for the people who left their belongings under the bridge.

"We brought other kinds of public health safety interventions like drug user health support, we brought Narcan kits, we brought water, we brought food, connection to services. We’ve helped people get IDs. Tons of people have gotten IDs out of this space," said Gale. "Sometimes we’ve helped people move back home, if they’re ready. We find a family connection and we may help them connect with another location that’s more stable for them."

WSDOT said from the year 2015 to Sep. 2022, there were 2,121 encampments in the state. Of those sites, 922 were in King County alone, and increasing in 2023.

"It’s been a growing problem for many years. It certainly has gotten worse in recent years," said Brian Nielsen, WSDOT’s northwest region administrator.

Cleaning up homeless encampments was once an unfamiliar task for the state’s transportation agency. Officials with WSDOT said their experience and resources addressing homeless encampments were limited. 

"The focus of our work is on building, operating and maintaining our highway system. But, we own a lot of right of way and people living in the right of way is part of our society unfortunately. So, we’re working with our state and local partners to try to address that in a responsible manner," said Nielsen.

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Nielsen said addressing the camp requires a collective effort and hiring contractors to clear the mess. The Department of Commerce said there is $45 million in legislative intent to expand options and action reducing homelessness. WSDOT said it uses a master contract from the Department of Enterprise Services to hire contractors for encampment clean up