SAN DIEGO — A CBS 8 viewer who was stuck in traffic while heading onto I-15 in Southcrest noticed a homeless encampment under the overpass.
The site of tents didn’t seem unusual, but then something strange caught his attention. He saw what appeared to be a cave dug into the side of a hill under the freeway.
We're Working For You and went out to the site. We noticed multiple tents, a grill, and mounds of trash.
The encampment near National Avenue and I-15 has clearly been there for a while, but those familiar with the situation say the cave had gotten much bigger over just the past few days.
Using shovels and rakes, they were able to dig several feet deep creating a makeshift bedroom on one side with a mattress, blankets and pillows. On the other side, we spotted another dug-out area with blankets.
They also had a middle area carved out with a chair in it. For safety reasons we didn't go all the way inside, but it appears to go back pretty far.
“I don't know why they want to make a mansion out here,” said a woman who showed up to the site to offer the residents of the encampment blankets and tarps. She asked not to be identified, but says the hole has gotten much bigger despite warnings to those living in it that this situation is dangerous.
“I think I'm not the only one that's concerned,” she said. “There's a lot of people concerned because it's not safe. But they're hot headed.”
CBS 8 reached out to Caltrans which maintains that area.
Caltrans said they've been monitoring the encampment and told us in a statement,
"The Persons Experiencing Homelessness have burrowed into the slope but not under the roadway. Recent inspections have shown that the impact to the slope is now at a stage where it is a danger to the people in and around it and has been flagged for immediate removal."
Just hours after we visited the camp Wednesday morning and reported the situation, Caltrans was out there with a CHP officer advising the people living there to pack up and leave - which they did without incident.
Caltrans told us “…crews will bring in equipment to shore up the slope this week. The impact to the slope is not impacting the roadway. The roadway remains safe for travel."
We'll continue to monitor this situation and have updates as new information becomes available.
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