Overview:
The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has increased in recent years; state transportation rights-of-way (ROW) are often some of the most accessible areas to set up temporary encampments. This growing trend of encampments on state ROW 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 explore issues such as social equity, environmental impacts, safety, legal issues, and coordination with other agencies, and to develop a guidebook that presents rational practices for responding to, managing, and deterring encampments on the ROW.
The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook of suggested practices for responding to, managing, and deterring encampments on the ROW. The suggested practices shall consider social equity, environmental impacts, safety, legal issues, coordination with other agencies, and other relevant issues.