Starting this week, the city of Salem’s police and resource teams will begin working alongside the Oregon Department of Transportation as it clears homeless encampments underneath the Center Street bridge on both sides of Northeast Front Street. The collaboration comes as city leaders approach a finalized agreement with the state that will allow city teams to enforce trespassing on state property.ODOT typically clears the encampments every six weeks on a schedule. In the past year, the budget-strained agency has faced mounting scrutiny for the infrequency of its cleanups.The city’s police team has typically not enforced trespassing on state property, nor has it sent teams that refer people to local services and shelters due to jurisdictional boundaries and requirements.The Center Street Bridge, located on the north end of Riverfront Park and next to the Gilbert House Children’s Museum, typically sees a swell of campers between scheduled clearings. Its location along busy Northeast Front Street has drawn safety concerns due to heavy traffic. “ODOT’s responsibility is to maintain a safe transportation system. Camping on state highway right of way is prohibited, because it creates safety risks for both campers and the traveling public,” said ODOT spokeswoman Mindy McCartt in an email. Vanessa Nordyke, a city councilor and the mayor-elect, announced the Center Street collaboration in a Sunday, July 12, Facebook post, sharing a statement from City Manager Krishna Namburi.  “Beginning this week, the City will begin assisting at State of Oregon ODOT properties, initially focusing on engaging with those sheltering there, referring them to resources, and preventing the reestablishment of encampments once the areas are restored,” Namburi’s statement said.  How ODOT clean-ups work in Salem, and what the city council wants to happen next The written agreement between the state and city has been “in the works for several months,” said city spokesman Rob Layne, and is nearing completion. He said it will go to the city council at some point in August.“Essentially, it means that if you trespass somebody on ODOT property, the city can enforce the trespass. You don’t need state troopers to be able to do that,” Layne said.The agreement will allow the Salem Police Department’s Homeless Services Team to go onto the property and talk to people about available local services, and to enforce when trespassing occurs.The city’s police team typically builds rapport with campers over repeat visits, with the goal of referring them to an available shelter such as the Navigation Center run by the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, which has 15 beds specifically for people referred by the Homeless Services Team. Layne said that, ahead of the written understanding that will go before the council, the city and ODOT have worked out an agreement for this week’s cleanup, which began Monday, July 13, and will go through Wednesday, July 16, according to the statement.ODOT posted the notice of the removal on July 2, said McCartt, in accordance with state law seeking to give people time to pack up their belongings. She said that ODOT has until July 23 to complete restoration work after the three-day intensive cleanup if needed.McCartt said that ODOT plans to install additional fencing beneath the bridge but can’t do so until the bridge’s seismic retrofit project is complete. That project is expected to start this year, according to the city website.“Once construction begins, temporary fencing will be installed around the active construction zone,” McCartt said. On the city’s side, prevention of a new campsite will involve the police team’s expanded ability to work on the state property, Layne said, and talk to new campers about available shelters and services. They will also be able to enforce the trespassing ban on the property.Other service teams that will work at the site include the Rapid Engagement, Assessment Community Health team that includes a paramedic, EMT and mental health professional;  Marion County’s Crisis, Assistance, and Recovery Engagement Support team; and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion team, according to Namburi’s memo.  “While critical gaps remain in housing and sheltering, we are working closely with all providers to identify available resources and assist individuals in making alternative arrangements,” Namburi said.As campers sorted through their belongings on Monday, crews in a nearby fenced-off parking lot got equipment ready for the Ironman 70.3 triathlon, which is expected to bring thousands to Riverfront Park on Sunday, July 19.Nordkye’s Facebook post drew community comments raising concerns that the camp was being hastily swept to make the city look more appealing to incoming tourists.“That’s not true,” Layne said. “(Ironman) just happens to align with (ODOT’s) previous schedule.”Around noon, several tents remained under the bridge, and campers mingled and discussed what belongings to leave or take. Usable items – like a cluster of propane tanks and a pile of bike parts – had been separated into piles which campers considered, while piles of trash will likely be left to the state crews. A construction vehicle sat in wait, unmanned.  Around 25 people remained at a bridge which can fit dozens, and all but a few tents were gone.With the sun at its peak, one man who’d carefully organized his things into a piled-high grocery cart took off his shirt as he continued to work, and a woman took a break in a left-behind recliner chair under the shade of the bridge. It’s expected to reach 91 degrees later this week.  Shelter is limited in Salem. Church at the Park’s microshelter pods for adults, located about a dozen blocks east down Center Street, has a waitlist of over 3,000 people for 112 beds.Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for accurate, independent local news – every day. 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