San Jose Looks At Going After Caltrans To Clean Up Freeway Litter
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – Looking to get rid of trash piling up along freeways, San Jose city leaders consider going after Caltrans to keep roadsides clean.
"We have five freeways that go through the city," Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio told KPIX 5. "The entire length of all these freeways, every entrance and exit is covered with litter and we're not seeing any resolution from the State of California."
It's why Oliverio is taking a drastic step to hold Caltrans responsible.
"I would propose that we declare the properties as a nuisance and fine them," Oliverio said. "Because if they can't keep up their minimum commitment of cleaning them then they should pay a fine. Why should San Jose residents suffer?"
He has already written a memo to discuss whether the city can fine or bill a state agency for not maintaining or cleaning property.
Caltrans has said that it does what it can to clean up, but garbage pops up as soon as it's picked up. The San Jose Mayor has also pushed the agency to make cleanup of 10 high-priority freeway hotspots a priority.
Oliverio's memo will go to before the City Council for discussion at Tuesday's meeting. The City Attorney will also look into potential legal options.
