City of Stockton concerned over tunnel dug into side of Crosstown Freeway overpass
STOCKTON — The City of Stockton is concerned over a hole being dug into the side of a Crosstown Freeway overpass.
The city says Caltrans oversees all of the state's highways and their infrastructure, so they want to know what it would take for them to clean it up.
Vice Mayor Jason Lee described photos of the hole, which is right along Garfield Street in the central city and is the size of a person, as disturbing to see.
"This was just something straight out of the Goonies movie, but we need our state partners to step up and find out what's happening," Lee said.
Lee responded to posts of these photos on Facebook.
"The public is the perfect partner to help the city know how to address the things that we see or that they see out there that are happening," he said.
We spoke with the man who claims responsibility for the hole. He did not want to be identified but told us the hole was a fire pit.
The City of Stockton's land is divided by a fence line that's been ripped apart. On the other side of the fence, it's Caltrans' jurisdiction.
"The homeless encampments, the trash along the highways, that is the state's responsibility. We've been in a whole experience with Caltrans and now engaging with CHP to help us clean up our freeways," Lee said.
Last year, CBS13 gained access to a cave system dug in Modesto. There was furniture inside and living space. It became a safety concern for Modesto and something Lee doesn't want to happen in Stockton.
He wants homeless people in housing and able to get help if they want it.
"That starts with understanding how we address some of these challenges. I'm not familiar with what was happening in Modesto, but I don't want what was happening in Modesto happening here," he said.
Caltrans District 10 released the following statement:
"Caltrans has assessed the location and will be removing debris at the site once dogs found at the site are removed either by their owners or local animal control. The holes that were found were filled. Caltrans has removed approximately 30 encampments in Stockton since December 2024 and has cleaned up this area previously. The location is frequently populated by individuals experiencing homelessness who move between state right of way and other jurisdictions. No individuals were at the location when Caltrans arrived at the location."