KING COUNTY, Wash. — As fall sets in, excavators are cleaning up more than just leaves on the road.
"We just need to get the road clear," said John Taylor, director of the King County Department of Local Services.
In unincorporated King County on Green River Road, cleanup is in day two where between 70 to 100 RV's and cars are now gone.
"Typically people drive 40-50 miles per hour on here and you had structures right to the edge of the road and even into the road," Taylor said.
Taylor said about 10% of the people in RVs and cars utilized a temporary parking lot in Tukwila.
"They were offered services and if they were interested in housing, offers were made to them," Taylor said. "For the most part, people wanted to stay with their vehicles."
Those living in tents were asked to move up the hill and out of the road and right-of-way.
"At night sometimes we hear people shooting in the air," said a neighbor who lives in the area. "That's pretty often so if it's clean now, I think that's a good sign."
Law enforcement has been called to the camp several times, including for a murder.
"I know that we've recovered a number of stolen vehicles at this sight," Taylor said. "We did have a homicide, we had a drive-by-shooting at one of the camps and we did have a carjacking in the last week. Those are the ones I'm aware of."
Security guards moved road closures to make room for the line of incoming dump trucks to deal with heaps of garbage.
"A lot of that garbage was illegal dumping because they saw the signs up that we were going to do the cleaning," Taylor said.
Taylor said Wednesday crews will begin putting in 700-pound concrete blocks.
"We'll be putting in some barriers and no parking signs and really delineating where parking is aloud and not aloud," Taylor said.
Neighbors hope this will make the area safer.
Work will continue for two weeks and once the road reopens, they'll also be enforcing the no parking rules.