WHEREAS, While street resurfacing and reconstruction projects positively impact the City’s neighborhoods and commercial areas, it is essential that these projects be advertised, communicated to residents and completed efficiently in order to minimize the disruptive impact on traffic, parking and pedestrians; and
WHEREAS, There have been multiple instances where road closures have occurred within short distances of each other that make it extremely difficult to travel in the City, contributing to congestion in streets and on sidewalks, increasing the risk of injuries to pedestrians, and generally adding to the daily “misery index”; and
WHEREAS, In addition to properly authorized road closures, non-permitted road closures have occurred with increasing frequency in neighborhoods due to construction; and
WHEREAS, All too often, streets have been closed with no public notification and multiple closures have occurred within short time periods because City departments and/or utilities failed to communicate with one another. Further, “no parking” signs have been erected for specific dates, but no work has been done during the advertised period, thereby needlessly forcing people to find alternative parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, Prior to street resurfacing or reconstruction, all utilities should be contacted and all relevant City departments should be consulted to see if projects can be coordinated so as to avoid repeat closures of the same areas; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED,
BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That City Council’s Committee on Rules is hereby authorized to hold public hearings to investigate how City departments coordinate with each other and with utilities to prepare and conduct street closures for street resurfacing and reconstruction projects.
End