From the WSDOT Peninsula

1. They have been given adequate notice?
2. Will they be offered an alternative location?
3. Will they be offered transportation to move their camps ? (I can see one camp has an outdoor BBQ and I doubt they have a means to move it as the only vehicle I have seen in use is a bicycle.)

I have not yet received a reply. I have watched the orange plastic fences go up to mark the boundary of the work area over the last two weeks. I have chatted with a couple of the construction workers who seem friendly and kind. Yesterday I saw at least one tent being moved east towards the Arboretum. This morning as I went for my morning walk I met one of the folks who had been living on the peninsula. He had his pack on his back and his tent carefully stowed under his arm. He was headed west into Montlake. He said he had been informed that tomorrow they will start enforcing the No Tresspassing signs. He wasn’t too bothered by it since he said he wasn’t planning on spending the winter on the peninsula, but he did leave me with the impression that the “eviction” had been rather quick.

I did not notice any signs yesterday, Sunday the 28th, but they were certainly apparent this morning. Note: It is possible the signs were posted a bit earlier than this morning and I missed them but I do think that if they had been posted for very long I would have noticed.

As you can see the fine print does give numbers to call.

This afternoon the camp under the on-ramp was clearly being removed. Maybe everything was handled by the book, but the apparent quick posting of the signs, the assumption on the signs that the homeless folks have phones to call for help and the lack of response to my email makes me wonder if we may have been a bit heavy handed.

 

Dear Larry,

Thank you for contacting the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program in regard to homeless encampments in and around the WSDOT construction staging area for the West Approach Bridge North Project (WABN). It is WSDOT’s intent to promote and support the health and safety of everyone affected by our work, including those whose camps will be displaced by our construction.

Our contractor is required to adhere to WSDOT guidelines that support the humane and respectful consideration of illegal campers and their personal items. Please see below for additional information about how WSDOT and our contractor are addressing homeless encampments within the WSDOT right of way.

1. Have individuals been given adequate notice?

• WSDOT worked with the contractor and the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct Community Police Team to develop a plan for removal of encampments, site cleanup and preservation, and to proactively notify campers.
• During the week of Sept. 22, the contractor posted “no trespassing” signs at 13 locations along the staging area that was recently established within WSDOT right of way. The signs – written in both Spanish and English – notified campers where their personal belongings would be stored. The contractor will retain personal items in an onsite container for up to 70 days after removal.
• At the same time, the contractor also mailed a notification letter to 39 homeless advocacy groups to inform advocates that on Sept. 29 the contractor would begin to remove homeless encampments located within the project boundaries.

2. Will individuals be offered an alternative location? Will they be offered transportation to move their camps?

• The purpose of notifying homeless advocacy groups is to give appropriate organizations the opportunity to support campers with finding alternative locations and transportation as needed. 
  

WSDOT will continue to work with the contractor, the Seattle Police Department and homeless advocacy groups as we move forward with construction activities. WSDOT will monitor areas on a daily basis to preserve site security and the safety of those who are affected by our project.

Thank you also for your note regarding your knowledge of the Union Bay birds. We appreciate your offer and will keep you in mind as a resource as we move forward with the project.

Please let me know if you have any follow up questions.

Sincerely, 

Kristin Sandstrom

SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program

Washington State Department of Transportation

999 3rd Avenue, Suite 900 | Seattle, WA 98104