City of Riverside Will Proactively Clear Encampments From Freeway Ramps Following One of the First Cooperative Agreements with Caltrans in the State
Published: 8/5/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Aug. 5, 2025
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
City of Riverside Will Proactively Clear Encampments From Freeway Ramps Following One of the First Cooperative Agreements with Caltrans in the State
Agreement will allow the City to augment cleanups already being done by Caltrans
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City of Riverside will proactively clear encampments from state freeway ramps throughout the city following the City Council’s unanimous approval on Tuesday (8/5) of one of the first delegated encampment maintenance agreements between Caltrans and a city.
The two-year pilot agreement allows City workers to remove encampments and bill Caltrans as much as $50,000 per quarter for the work -- $400,00 during the next two years. Without the agreement, the City is unable to remove encampments on State Route 91, State Route 60 and Interstate 60 within the city limits.
“This innovative agreement will allow the City to go onto state property and provide clean-ups without going through a longer permitting process,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “This proactive effort will speed up the clean-ups, improve our public spaces, and provide for reimbursement from the state.”
As part of the agreement created by the Public Works Department and the Department of Housing and Human Services, members of the City’s Public Safety Engagement Team (PSET) and its contractors will provide outreach services to people experiencing homelessness while removing debris.
Caltrans will continue its existing efforts to clear encampments within District 8, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. District 8 is the largest in California and includes 49 cities, 28,650 square miles of land, four interstates, and 32 state routes totaling 7,200 lane miles.
“This agreement does not replace the work that Caltrans already is doing,” Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Conder said. “It augments that work with City staff, which should aid our ability to remove encampments and improve our freeway system.”
-30-
