MANTECA, Calif. — After being found by firefighters, a hole under an overpass near Highway 99 has officials concerned about the embankment's integrity. For the City's public works director, it's something he hasn't seen in the 12 year's he's been serving as a director.
"We've had other situations where people have dug and made kind of housing in the ground in open fields and stuff, but in this case it's more of a problem because this is the base of embankment for a road," says Manteca Public Works Director Mark Houghton.
The hole is well hidden under the Cottage Avenue overpass next to southbound Highway 99 in Manteca.
Under a shady tree, it runs close to ten feet long and is filled with trash. It appears someone has been living in the for quite some time.
It was discovered by firefighters following a recent fire at the makeshift encampment.
Two large access holes have been cut through the fencing that separates the Highway 99 shoulder and Cal Trans property.
Houghton says it will be an expensive fix, and the City will need concrete or cement to fill it in. Otherwise, they'll have to re-compact what is there to stabilize the slope of the embankment.
"This is the base of an embankment for a road - an over-crossing - and it's a threat to the structure of the road above it, which if gets saturated that can collapse," Houghton said. "We would have collapse in our roadway, lose the road, and become a significant public safety issue for us."
Houghton is asking the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity. In addition, he says public work crews will be paying more attention for the possibility that this could happen again.
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