LOUISVILLE, Ky. — People within the Portland neighborhood are calling on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to pick up the trash beneath and surrounding I-64.
Richard Meadows said he tried to contact the Cabinet multiple times about the issue and got "crickets."
Jim Hannah with Transportation Cabinet District 5 responded to WHAS11 News saying it's a larger issue than trash in the underpass.
"These issues are the result of the houseless population," Hannah wrote. "The Transportation Cabinet has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Louisville Metro. You need to direct your questions to our partners at the city’s Office of Resilience and Community Services [RCS]."
WHAS11 did that, and the office said they're currently pausing clearing operations due to "White Flag" conditions.
"White Flag occurs when the temperature or wind chill drops below 35 degrees," Julia Drake wrote on behalf of RCS. "Once weather conditions allow, RCS will resume the encampment clearing process."
In the meantime, Drake said the office is working with Metro Public Works to keep camp areas clean and they will service the area in the near future.
"This is not, absolutely not about the homeless," Meadows said. "It's about the trash."
He went on to say most of the trash and overgrown plants are in a separate location from the current encampment and have been there for years.
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