SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Santa Ana City Council approved an agreement with the California Department of Transportation on Tuesday, Aug. 19, that will improve safety, cleanliness and maintenance along key freeway corridors and gateways.
The Encampment Delegated Maintenance Agreement (EDMA) allows the City of Santa Ana to perform maintenance services such as encampment, graffiti, trash and debris removal along major freeway ramps and underpasses. Caltrans will reimburse the City up to $400,000 over the next two years for the work completed.
“The City of Santa Ana is committed to keeping our community safe, clean and welcoming for everyone,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “Through this partnership with Caltrans, we can make sure our freeways and underpasses reflect the pride we have in our city while protecting public health and safety for residents, businesses and visitors alike.”
The EDMA authorizes the City to perform routine maintenance on the following high-priority locations along the I-5 and SR-55 freeway corridors:
- 17th Street and Penn Way – on/off-ramps
- Buffalo Avenue and Main Street – southbound off-ramp
- Santiago Creek Underpass at Broadway
- Grand Avenue – on/off-Ramps and underpass
- East side of I-5 freeway – Between Stafford and Mabury streets
- South side of I-5 freeway – Between Logan Street and Lincoln Avenue
- Fourth Street – northbound off-ramp
- Fourth Street – southbound on/off-ramps
- Hesperian Street and Bristol Street – on/off ramps and underpass
- Dyer Road – on/off ramps and underpass
- MacArthur Boulevard – southbound on-ramp
City staff estimate routine maintenance costs for the identified freeway areas to be approximately $150,000 per year, with the remaining balance available for encampment removals or other additional cleanup efforts. Work will begin as soon as the agreement takes effect.
To ensure regular maintenance and upkeep and quick responses to community and City Council requests, the Public Works Agency plans to secure an external contractor to aid in cleanup efforts. The City has released a Request for Proposal for these services, which closes Sept. 18, 2025.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to download the mySantaAna app to report graffiti, debris and other issues by freeways and anywhere else throughout the city.