ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More than 500 used needles littered the pedestrian bridge over Montgomery, just east of San Mateo. It’s the path dozens of Del Norte High School students take to and from class every day.

A spokesperson for Albuquerque Public Schools says a teacher saw the mess Wednesday morning and told administrators, who called the city.

The clean-up landed on the one employee from the Parks and Recreation Department tasked with removing needles across the city.

The APS spokesperson says the bridge was cleaned up an hour later. But aside from the needles, students say their trip over the bridge to school is rarely a walk in the park.

“It’s uncomfortable really, I just get through it, really there’s nothing you can do,” a student said. “You can see feces, smelly, stinks. Couple needles here and there. Just random stuff. Food everywhere.”

Students said they also see homeless people sleeping on the bridge while they’re walking to school.

KOB 4 wanted to see who was in charge of keeping the bridge clean. We first reached out to Solid Waste, who referred us to the Department of Municipal Development. A spokesperson said they do maintenance on that bridge, but it’s more for things related to the actual structure, like repainting.

Officials did say to call 311 if you do see needles around the city.