SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – With the help of a year-long pilot program between the City of San Diego and Caltrans, homeless encampment-related fires along a stretch of highway in downtown have been cut down.
You’re about to get on the 94 east in Downtown San Diego, you look out your window, and you’ll probably see it, a homeless encampment.
“Some of the areas we're still working on, but of course that starts with going out with resources trying to work with people as well as just making sure we're going out there and clean on a regular basis,” Franklin Coopersmith, City of San Diego Environmental Services Department, said. “In most of the areas we've seen encampments, either the frequency that they're showing up has gone down, or in some areas, they have completely not repopulated at all.”
ABC 10News has spoken with Coopersmith and others from the City of San Diego about the progress and successes of the year-long pilot program.
The program allows City crews to clear encampments on Cal Trans property along a five-mile area of the I-5, 94, and 163 highways in Downtown.
“We've done over 500 abatements since the start of, uh, so it would be July 23rd, 2025, so over 500,” Coopersmith said. “We've removed over 280 tons of trash from the right of way, and then we have about 90 people who have been actually placed from the freeway itself into our safe sleeping.”
An additional impact is helping to cut down on encampment-related fires along these sections of highway.
“The biggest benefit for the fire department is a reduction in encampment fires and vegetation fires alongside of the freeway,” Assistant Fire Marshal Alex Kane with San Diego Fire-Rescue said. “Those fires are very dangerous, not only to extinguish, but for our personnel operating on the freeway. It's a dangerous place.”
The City told ABC 10News that Fire-Rescue has seen a 39 percent drop in encampment-related fires in the freeway corridor since the program started late July 2025. That’s compared to the same eight-month time period the year before it started.
“We have seen a marked reduction. I've been speaking to the local crews around here, and they're aware of it. They see it, they feel it, and that's a good thing for our first responders,’ Kane said. “It enables them to be ready to respond to other emergencies. It's not only fires that they do, they do medical aid."
The year-long program started last July, so it’s only got about four months left on its deal. ABC 10News asked the City and Cal Trans whether there are talks of extending it or possibly expanding the program.
Cal Trans said to ABC 10News in a statement, “Caltrans appreciates its partnership with cities in addressing encampments in the region. Caltrans is focused on implementing the existing agreement with the city of San Diego and is always open to productive partnerships that address pressing issues. These conversations are ongoing, and no decisions have been made on expanding or renewing the agreement at this date.”
Coopersmith echoed the sentiment that conversations are still ongoing.
“It really just comes down to do we have the ability and the funding to be able to support continuing going,” Coopersmith said. ”So that's where we're going back and forth with Caltrans right now to figure out, you know, what does it take to keep this going, to expand it, and so hopefully in the next few months we'll have a better idea of where we're at with it.”
