City Councilwoman Carol Berz said a "not nice group of people" are causing problems from their make-shift home near the Brainerd/East Ridge line.
She said the group of "homeless by choice" have set up camp near the Brainerd Levee.
The levee is also used as part of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway designed to eventually connect Camp Jordan in East Ridge with the Riverwalk near Amnicola Highway. Many sections of the trail are completed.
Councilwoman Berz said some of those living in the camp "have been coming out and robbing people."
She said there was a recent meeting about the problem.
The councilwoman said, "East Ridge has put up a gate, but we haven't done anything on our side."
East Ridge Police Chief J.R. Reed said, "The late Stump Martin had a gate installed on the bridge several years ago to address some problems that were occurring during late evening and night hours.
"Motorcycles and some all-terrain vehicles started using this greenway to gain access to the back area of the park and also the criminal element using the greenway in both directions."
Councilwoman Berz said the camp may also be an issue because the state is to soon start work on the major changes to the I-75/I-24 split with changes to nearby bridges.
Jennifer Flynn of TDOT said she was unaware of the homeless camp.
She said, "The next step in the process of developing the I-75/I-24 interchange modification project is for our headquarters and regional leadership to hear presentations from several Design-Build teams consisting of a Design-Builder and a Design Consultant on how they would approach the project, including any innovative techniques that would make the project cost less, get finished faster, etc.
"If all goes well, the project should be awarded to the winning D-B team by the end of the year. If this occurs, then the winning D-B team has to complete the rest of the project’s design and take care of acquiring permits, obtaining necessary right-of-way, etc.
"If everything goes smoothly, construction could begin in mid- to late-2019."