Fremont frontage road being cleared of RVs, replacing them with boulders

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Fremont police took another step Thursday toward clearing out Kato Road, a stretch of frontage road alongside I-880 that has been overrun by people parking and living in their RVs.

"This is a highly visible stretch of road and we have a real public safety concern. We have large vehicles that have been parking here. We have people living here. There are a lot of health and safety issues that go along with that," said Fremont Police Public Affairs Manager Geneva Bosques.

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Thursday, police implemented phase one of the plan. They towed away one RV that is parked in a 1700 feet long stretch of the road. The city then will add boulders to that area to discourage parking in the future. They are not clearing out all of Kato Road yet so there are still some RVs parking in front of the Tesla factory.

"This is a pilot, we want to see how this 1700 feet stretch of road goes, if it is effective," said Bosques. She said the city will evaluate this phase before moving on to the rest of the road.

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One woman who lives in her RV in front of Tesla says even though police haven't focused on her section yet, she is going to move now. But she says she doesn't know where to go.

"Well I don't know where else to park it, there's nowhere else to park and there's nowhere to park it at they have no places for people to park," said Sara Canales who has been parked here for three months.

Police say the city wants to help, not just displace people.

"Prior to phase two, our health and human services department will be working with all of the people living out here, providing resources and sharing different options that they have," Bosques said.

Bosques said it is not just homeless people parking here. The city has also been working with the businesses here to make sure their employees don't park here while they are at work.