Gov. Inslee stops by 25-acre homeless encampment to discuss safety initiative

SEATTLE — The work to clear a 25-acre homeless camp in South Seattle continued on Monday. The encampment is at Myers Way and State Route 509 and is very much a work in progress.

Despite all the trash, RVs, and rundown cars, the area has already seen more than a thousand hours of cleanup.

On Monday, Gov. Inslee came to tour the encampment to discuss the work being made with his ‘Right of Way Safety Initiative’, as well as the work still needed.

The safety initiative is something Inslee, along with the Wahington State Department of Transportation introduced a little over a year ago. We covered that announcement where Inslee, as he did on Monday, stated that having encampments so close to right-of-way drivers, at speeds of often 70 mph is incredibly dangerous and can be deadly.

Which is why he said the initiative focuses on four things: Offering shelter, providing secure storage of cars and RVs, ensuring the safety of homeless people, cleanup crews, and drivers during cleanup efforts, and cleaning up roadways.

Inslee believes that because of this initiative, Seattle will see the start of major improvements near roadways.

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