Guide for Addressing Encampments on State Transportation Rights-of-Way

The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has increased in recent years; state transportation rights-of-way (ROWs) are often some of the most accessible areas to set up temporary encampments. This growing trend of encampments on state ROWs has presented unprecedented challenges for state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the design, construction, and maintenance of pavements and bridges; there are no widely accepted guidelines relating to this trend. There is a need to develop a guide that presents rational practices for responding to, managing, and deterring encampments on the ROWs. These practices should consider issues such as social equity, environmental impacts, safety, legal issues, and coordination with other agencies. This guide will serve as a resource for state DOTs in implementing management practices for prevention, cleanup, and tolerance of encampments, thereby reducing the challenges associated with encampments. The objective of this research was to develop a guide of suggested practices for responding to, managing, and deterring encampments on the ROWs. The suggested practices shall address the challenges for state DOTs in the design, construction, and maintenance of pavements and consider social equity, environmental impacts, safety, legal issues, coordination with other agencies, and other relevant issues. However, the project was discontinued near completion of Phase I (background and planning for research to produce the guide).

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5161
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Phase I only, project was discontinued; no work was conducted on Phase II.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $99867
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-129

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Khaleghi, Bijan

• Performing Organizations:

  Transportation Research and Education Center

  1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., Suite 175
  Portland, OR  United States  97201
• Principal Investigators:

  Zapata, Marisa

• Start Date: 20220930
• Expected Completion Date: 20240712
• Actual Completion Date: 20240712

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Camping; Guidelines; Homeless persons; Right of way (Land); State highways
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01772928
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-129
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 25 2021 10:01PM