Frequently camped Market Street underpass to be blocked by fence

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The Oregon Department of Transportation is installing fences to block off longstanding unsanctioned camping spots under the Interstate 5 overpass at Northeast Market Street, near a busy intersection in Salem.

The areas, on either side of Northeast Market Street, are alcoves which tend to have several encampments at a time which are routinely swept. The area is surrounded by busy streets on all sides.

The overpass is state property because it’s part of the highway system, meaning it’s up to the agency, not the city of Salem, to maintain and set camping policy.

Fencing was installed on the south side of the street on March 5, and will be installed on the north side later this week, said department spokeswoman Mindy McCartt in an email to Salem Reporter.  

“It is permanent fencing to help to discourage illegal camping activities in the area. It is unsafe for people to be so close to traffic,” McCartt said.

The project will cost an estimated $75,000, said department spokesman David House in an email.

The intersection became home to one of Salem’s largest encampments during the Covid pandemic, serving as a makeshift home for dozens of people over more than a year when state policy barred agencies from sweeps. Some campers were hit by cars, according to interviews at the time. ODOT swept the camp in July 2021. Since then, people have periodically returned.

Crashes at the intersection appear to have increased in recent years, with about five per year underneath and near the overpass until 2020, which doubled to around 10 per year in 2021 and 2022, according to available state data. 

McCartt said no particular incident prompted the fence installation.

“This is just a more long-term solution. We have been cleaning up this area about every 5-6 weeks, as needed and when law enforcement is available,” she said.

House said that since 2021 Oregon State Police and Salem Police have patrolled the area routinely to ask people to move.

Oregon law requires that campers are given at least a 3-day notice before their belongings are removed, and that social services for homeless people be notified of sweeps.

Notices were posted for campers on Feb. 20, and the fence was scheduled to be installed March 3, House said. There was a materials delay for the fence, so the project was rescheduled to March 5. He said no campers were present on March 4.

“On the morning of March 5 there were three folks that were within the construction zone. For their safety and to secure a construction zone they were asked to move to the north end side of the overpass. The campers were told that once the south side was completed that the crew would be moving to the north side in about a week,” House said.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reached out to local homeless services including ARCHES, Helping Hands Resources, Resource Connections of Oregon, Northwest Human Services’ homeless outreach team and Gretchen Bennett, the city of Salem’s homeless liaison.

House said that Northwest Human Services has been visiting the area every day since March 5.

Bennett said in an email that the outreach teams visiting the site aim to figure out what needs people have, and “working to problem solve from that individual need.”

The state will also install fencing under the Northeast Front and Marion street bridges over the Willamette River ahead of July, McCartt said. Fencing is also planned for the Center street bridge next year, she said.

Update: This story was updated to include future Oregon Department of Transportation fencing projects in Salem.

Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.

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