San Diego city clean-up crews cleared homeless encampments near downtown freeways on Wednesday under a brand new agreement with Caltrans announced earlier in the week.
They reportedly removed five tons of trash and debris from areas that have long been difficult to maintain.
The cleanup was aimed at removing makeshift shelters—that include cardboard boxes held up by wooden planks just feet above Interstate 5—where dozens of people without homes have been living.
"You find feces, tons of human waste all over the place, drugs and drug paraphernalia," according to Franklin Coopersmith with San Diego Environmental Services who was interviewed by reporting partner 10News.
Most of the dirt patches around off-ramps and overpasses are owned by Caltrans, which required months of negotiations before the city could take on cleanup responsibilities.
(Photo reporting partner 10News)