Authorizing Council's Committee on Streets and Services to hold hearings to ascertain whether current and planned road repair efforts will address unsatisfactory road conditions.

WHEREAS, According to the City’s 2016-2017 Philadelphia Resident Survey Report, “Only 17.9% of residents rank Street Repair Excellent/Good with the vast majority (81%) ranking street repair services Fair or Poor.” Nearly a majority of residents (48.8%) deemed the City’s street repair efforts Poor; and

WHEREAS,

Roadway deficiencies include potholes, cave-ins (or sinkholes), wear-outs, and ditches; and

WHEREAS,

On October 12, 2016 Council’s Committee on Streets and Services held a hearing for Resolution No. 160656, “Authorizing Public Hearings to evaluate more cost efficient and effective methods for the City of Philadelphia to address its perennial pothole problem,” A Streets Department representative, when asked to grade the City’s street conditions, gave them a “C-minus,” while saying that the City deserved an “A-minus” grade for its pothole repair performance; and

WHEREAS, Following this hearing, the proposed Fiscal Year 2018 General Fund Budget for the Streets Department totaled $137,107,424, an increase of $8,733,140 over Fiscal Year 2017 estimated obligation levels. This increase was primarily due to increased funding for paving operations. The Streets Department testified that they expected to complete 75 miles of paving in FY18, a 74% increase from the previous year; and

WHEREAS, In his Fiscal Year 2019 budget address to this body on March 1, 2018, Mayor Kenney stated that the City is “not wavering” from its goal of repaving more than 130 miles of streets each year by 2023. To meet this goal, he said the Streets Department was “currently hiring a second crew of more than 30 people for repaving, and a third crew will be added in future years”; and

WHEREAS, In an August 13, 2018

Philadelphia Inquirer

editorial, the Deputy Managing Director of the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems and the Commissioner of the Streets Department stated that the City had already filled more than 52,247 potholes this year. They said that the second paving crew was operational and that the additional budgeting for future road repairs would fix the effects of underinvestment and long, wet winters in past years; and

WHEREAS, Potholes and other poor road conditions remain a persistent problem in Philadelphia, causing much concern and frustration among the populace over safety and nuisance issues; and

WHEREAS,

As winter approaches, given the increased investment the City has made in addressing one of the City’s worst-rated services by residents, it is timely and appropriate to evaluate whether these investments will make their desired impacts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes Council’s Committee on Streets and Services to hold hearings to ascertain whether current and planned road repair efforts will address unsatisfactory road conditions.

End