For Jose, the slough beneath Stockton’s Airport Way Bridge is more than just a patch of ground. It’s home.
“This is the only place I’ve got,” he said.
Jose, who declined to provide his last name, has lived in the area for three years. But he may soon need to find somewhere else to go.
Multiple fires beneath the bridge, which crosses Mormon Slough just south of Stockton’s downtown, have caused structural damage, and the city has been planning for several years to make repairs. However, city officials have recently reframed the project with new messaging focused on deterring homeless encampments like the one Jose lives in.
In a presentation to the city’s Ad-Hoc Homelessness Committee this month, Public Works Director Chad Reed highlighted the nearly $1 million project as a way to explore whether riprap — large, uneven-shaped rocks, sometimes secured with concrete — and slope paving could effectively discourage such encampments.
Reed described this new riprap “pilot project” as expensive, possibly costing the city “as much as $900,000 per bridge,” which he said includes the price of design, permitting processes and construction costs.
He also provided examples from Orange County in Southern California, the state of Minnesota and nearby Lodi where similar infrastructure has reportedly succeeded in deterring encampments while also reinforcing flood control.
Construction for the project was slated to begin this month.
But the price tag has given some pause in supporting such a project.
“It’s a lot of money for riprap,” Councilmember Brando Villapudua told Stocktonia by phone last week. “We need to look into this in detail.”
Villapudua voiced that same concern following Reed’s presentation on April 3. The city has around 100 bridges and, at nearly $1 million apiece, it would be a hefty sum. The District 5 representative called the $900,000 price tag “ridiculous,” and also questioned the potential environmental impact.
Councilmember Michele Padilla, who sits on the city’s homeless committee with Villapudua, also expressed her surprise by the described expense after previously publicly supporting the idea.
“I had no idea how expensive it was,” she said during the meeting. “I’m looking forward to see how the Mormon Slough project turns out.”
The District 1 councilor had told CBS prior to the committee’s April meeting that the city “can’t continue to spend millions of dollars on cleanup.”
“I’d rather spend this money on resources and long-term solutions,” Padilla said.
‘It can be costly’
The actual cost of installing the riprap, however, is likely significantly lower than what has been described by public works and more of an addition to what is actually a repair project that has been in the works since 2022.
While the majority of his presentation focused on the riprap and its deterrent capabilities, Reed did reiterate to the committee that the primary purpose of the project is fire damage repair and that he was highlighting how certain design elements may serve dual functions — such as helping to mitigate vandalism and improve safety.
He also only quoted the price tag of the bridge’s repair, which does include installing riprap.
However, the city told Stocktonia following the meeting that the riprap only makes up a small portion of the project’s overall cost.
City spokesperson Connie Cochran told Stocktonia that only about 10% of the total budget — roughly $90,000 — is designated specifically for installing the riprap and corresponding grouting material that will be installed up the slopes beneath the Airport Way Bridge.
These figures still illustrate the substantial investment that could be required for each installation of riprap and associated infrastructure work, especially if the city chooses to expand the approach to more bridges.
“It can be costly,” Reed explained at the meeting. “There is a design component to it.”
However, it’s unclear if the city plans to eventually add riprap infrastructure to bridges that don’t need infrastructure improvements.
The project was scheduled to begin this month, though April is nearly over without any obvious construction activity at the site as of Thursday. Reed attributed the delay to construction paperwork that is still being processed.
History of damage to Airport Way Bridge
What is officially known as the Airport Way Bridge Over Mormon Slough Fire Repair Project stems from two separate fires, in 2018 and 2021, that occurred under the bridge, both attributed to vandalism linked to nearby homeless encampments, according to City Council agenda documents.
Following structural evaluations, engineers confirmed the bridge remains structurally sound but noted repairs are needed.
“Repairs are needed to the bridge’s abutments and concrete deck. Restoration is also needed for the embankment that has been excavated by unsheltered individuals,” according to agenda documents from a council meeting in February. “Installation of concrete slope paving at the abutments and river rock at the channel bottom is intended to prevent future vandalism to the abutments and other structural components of the bridge.”
The bridge damage prompted then-Vice Mayor Christina Fugazi to bring the issue before the city council in 2022. At the time, Fugazi pushed for urgent action and questioned how the proposed use of concrete slope paving and river rock would address the risk of fire-related vandalism.
Jodi Almassy, then-director of Public Works, responded that the materials would serve as “a structural improvement to deter the impacts they have experienced.”
“We must secure and protect our infrastructure, and we must make sure there isn’t access there,” Fugazi said at the time, when council first approved securing design services for the project.
Initially, the riprap was planned to be installed at ground level beneath the bridge. However, according to Reed, the design has since been adjusted to bring the riprap higher along the embankment to help reinforce and structurally protect the bridge.
Now serving as mayor, Fugazi highlighted the project once again during a council meeting in February, reiterating her support for reinforcing the bridge and preventing future damage. She noted a review of other municipalities using riprap showed the practice to be effective and recommended grouting the rocks to ensure it couldn’t be easily removed or disturbed.
“We’re running on a hamster wheel here,” she said, emphasizing the need for a lasting solution.
The project will include grouted riprap as part of the design, Reed explained in the homelessness committee meeting.
The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the $908,369 construction contract, along with a formal exemption allowing the city to reallocate funds from other existing bridge maintenance and protection programs. Normally, money set aside for specific bridge projects can’t be used elsewhere, but this exemption gives the city special permission to move those funds and help pay for the new construction — essentially making an exception to the usual rules.
While the project has been publicly framed as a deterrent strategy, the city has emphasized that its primary focus remains the “structural repair and restoration of the bridge,” city spokesperson Cochran told Stocktonia.
The city has described it as a pilot to evaluate whether riprap, combined with slope paving, can effectively deter encampments.
Cochran said success will be measured by the project’s ability to prevent excavations and protect bridge infrastructure from long-term damage. Officials also noted that fencing, tested in Lodi, proved difficult to maintain, and that slope paving alone did not prevent encampments.
Mixed reactions from officials, community
Public opinion on the riprap has been divided.
Dan Richardson, a Stockton resident, acknowledged the complexity of the issue during public comment earlier this month.
“There is no perfect solution,” he said. “Unfortunately, the homeless don’t consider infrastructure damage when they cause fires. We also need to consider the safety of the public and what it costs us, the millions of dollars in damage when a major fire occurs underneath the bridges.”
South Stockton resident Pat Barrett described the idea of a riprap deterrent as “a Band-Aid.”
“For a million dollars for every bridge, wouldn’t it be great if we just put up tiny homes or get land and put those tents so they can have a safe space and a fence around them?” Barrett said, adding that it’s a lot of money. “Millions of dollars for rocks.”
Jessica Velez, founder of the Red Rabbit Advocacy Programs, a nonprofit organization founded in 2021 to address housing instability in San Joaquin County, criticized the project as a superficial fix.
“It’s a waste of money. It’s just a Band-Aid to fix the aesthetic of the city,” she told Stocktonia.
Velez emphasized the need for solutions that offer “multiple avenues of support,” such as safe camping zones or tiny home communities, noting that similar structures already exist on Trinity Parkway in north Stockton.
She also expressed concern over the ongoing displacement of unhoused residents.
“They need to stop displacing people,” she said. “They are worsening people’s mental health, breaking the little trust the homeless population has.”
Padilla, however, has emphasized that adding the riprap isn’t about punishing the unhoused but rather about creating “healthier and safer conditions for everyone.”
Benito, 46, who declined to provide his last name, told Stocktonia he used to live under the Airport Way Bridge and now visits friends who are still there. He sees the city’s latest plan as more of the same.
“They are still worried about putting rocks, sticks,” he said. “What about offering some help?”