Back and forth: ODOT crews spent nearly half a million dollars on Bend right-of-way homeless camp cleanups last year

(Update: Adding video, comments from ODOT)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- It seems to be a back-and-forth game for ODOT crews and the homeless, one that costs $440,000 a year.

KTVZ News has reported about ODOT right-of-way cleanups around the city for years. You'll see crews up and down Highway 97 in Bend, including Revere Avenue, Truman Avenue and Reed Market Road.

This week, crews were back at it, clearing a growing encampment on Revere. And just days later, KTVZ News cameras captured what appears to be a new encampment, right across the street.

We spoke with ODOT last summer about the situation.

"We always try to get to these areas and address them before they grow in size," said ODOT Region 4 Public Information Officer Kacey Davey. "The smaller these restoration events are, the less resources that we have to put to them."

According to the department, from July 2023 to July 2024, the cost for right-of-way camp work for the Bend crew was just under $440,000.

ODOT says those camping in rights of way with no trespassing signs have 24 hours to move. ODOT and hazardous waste crews determine what items are trash or personal belongings, and the latter are held in a facility for 30 days, where they can be picked up. 

"Camping in the right of ways, next to the state highway is really not a safe place for anyone to be, and so we're hoping that those folks can find a place that is safer," Davey said. "And we rely on our community service organizations to help people with resources and find places where they can be."

The Lighthouse Center in Bend says the first week of March has been busy, with an estimated 400 beds filled. But residents are not asked where they came from when they arrive.