Philadelphia Streets Department logowhite-fillerlogo facebooklogo twitterlogo 3white-filler
RECYCLING REWARDS: Get Rewards for your Recycling.
About content here
  • Overview
Need Content
  • Need Content
Know the Sanitation Code
Overview
Compliance
Enforcement
Payment
FAQ
Events
MEDIA LINE HERE
Residential
Lorem ipsum de la solem
Other
Lorem ipsum de la solem
POTHOLES

Is it a pothole?

A hole in the road surface isn't necessarily a pothole. It can also be a utility ditch or a cave-in. See "Classifications" below.

REPORT A PROBLEM
Having a problem? Click here to report a street defect.

Classifications

Potholes

Potholes are bowl-shaped openings up to 10 inches deep. They occur when the top layer of the road has worn away, exposing the concrete base.



Customer Service Standard:

  • Response time of three business days (Requests reported by 2 p.m. Monday through Friday will be repaired within three business days)
  • Redress - The Streets Department will notify customers if the repair is not made within three days.


Cave-ins

Cave-ins (also called sinkholes) reach past the concrete base of the road. This void can occur when the dirt below the concrete base has washed away, causing the upper surfaces to fall though.



Repairs to cave-ins include repairing the subsurface of the roadway and may involve repairs by property owners and/or other utility agencies (Water Department, PGW, PECO, cable utilities). Every effort is made to address permanent restoration in a timely manner.


Ditches

Ditches are rectangular excavations in the road made by utilities and plumbers to reach underground lines. The contractors are responsible for filling the ditch and paving it temporarily and notifying the city upon completion. The Highways Division then schedules a permanent repair to the road. If a ditch is not backfilled properly, it will wash out or sink in, leaving a large hole.



Customer Service Standard

  • Response time of 45 business days (July 1 to November 30)
  • From November 30 to June 30 the Streets Department will permanently repair as weather permits. In the meantime, the Streets Department will keep the ditch in a safe condition.




 
ALERTS

15th STREET BRIDGE BETWEEN CALLOWHILL
AND SPRING GARDEN STREETS CLOSURE
Effective Wednesday, January 16

PHILADELPHIA - Effective Wednesday, January 16, the 15th Street Bridge between Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets will be closed to vehicular traffic, Streets Commissioner Clarena I. W. Tolson announced today. The closure is necessary in response to a routine inspection that found structural damage to the bridge.

The closure is effective for the entire length of the bridge and will be closed to vehicular traffic until further notice, however, pedestrians and bicycles will be permitted to cross. The posted detour route includes Broad Street from Spring Garden Street to Callowill Street.

The Streets Department regrets any inconvenience resulting from this closure. We would like to thank citizens in advance for their patience and cooperation. It is our goal to have the bridge opened as soon as possible.

 

QUICK LINKS
REPORT A PROBLEM
APPLICATION FORMS
QUICK HELP
NEWS
05/18/2013
STREETS DEPARTMENT SCHEDULES REPAIRS TO INTERSECTION OF SOUTHAMPTON ROAD & ROOSEVELT BOULEVARD
05/17/2013
Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee’s (PMBC) Saturday Clean Block Caravan visits Block Captains and their volunteers cleaning in the 1st, 3rd, and 17th Police Districts
05/16/2013
STREETS DEPARTMENT REOPENS 15TH STREET BRIDGE WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
05/15/2013
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Sponsored by the Streets Department’s Sanitation Division
05/10/2013
City of Philadelphia Announces 11 Local Schools Receive Recyclebank Green Schools Program Grants



MORE >>
EVENTS
05/10/2012 - 05/19/2012
2012 HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAM
04/19/2013
City Of Philadelphia Announces 11 Local Schools Receive Recyclebank Green Schools Program Grants
Philadelphia, in partnership with Recyclebank, awards not only schools but generous residents as well.

MORE >>
RESOURCES
COMMERCIAL
KUDOS
04/29/2013
5000 Locust St
04/25/2013
Bicycle Lanes
02/12/2013
200 S Melville St
02/08/2013
500 Sigel St
01/01/2013
321 E Allens Ln

MORE >>