The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has once again asked homeless campers to leave an open space at the intersection of Revere Avenue and Division Street off Highway 97 in Bend.
This is the second time in a little over a month that ODOT has requested the homeless to vacate the public land.
In March, about half of the residents on the corner left voluntarily, but the process was halted due to weather conditions. ODOT picked up the process again Monday.
If you happen to drive by the area and still see campers, ODOT has stated that they do not have the authority to forcibly remove homeless from public land. Only the Bend Police Department can do that.
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However, Bend Police have indicated that they will not intervene unless a crime is reported.
ODOT spends millions every year to attempt to clear right-of-ways for public safety like Revere Avenue.
“Statewide, it costs about $3 million per year. But if you want to talk about locally, every time we go and do restoration for one day, it’s about $10,000 per day,” ODOT Public Information Officer Kacey Davey told us last month. She said the cost is due to personnel and equipment.
