Philadelphia's annual street-sweeping program resumed Tuesday to clean up blocks in 14 neighborhoods known for having higher-than-average litter problems, city officials said.
The sanitation program, which runs from April 1 to Oct. 30, sends crews out with mechanical sweepers and other equipment used to clear streets of trash from roadways and sidewalks. Cleanings happen four days a week from Mondays through Thursdays, and the work requires parking restrictions to allow crews to access tight spaces for deep cleaning along curbs.
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The first wave of street cleanings are taking place on the following neighborhood blocks:
• Frankford: Frankford Ave. to Keystone St. from Levick Ave. to Bridge St.
• Germantown: Berkley St. to Chelten Ave. from Pulaski Ave. to Wakefield St.
• Kensington: 2nd St. to Kensington Ave. from Tioga St. to Lehigh Ave.
• Logan: Broad St. to Mascher St. from Godfrey Ave. to Roosevelt Blvd.
• Nicetown: Broad St. to Hunting Park Ave. from Allegheny Ave. to Clarrissa/Windrim Ave.; 20th St, to 15th from Logan/ Lindley St. to Wagner Ave.
• North Central: Broad St. to 22nd St. from Diamond Ave. to Allegheny Ave.
• Paschall: 58th to 70th from Cobbs Creek to Dicks Ave.
• Point Breeze: Christian St. to McKean St. from Broad St. to 24th St.
• Port Richmond: Kensington Ave. to Aramingo Ave. from Tioga St. to Lehigh Ave.
• South Philly: McKean St. to Oregon Ave. from 4th St. to 8th St.
• Southwest: Woodland Ave. to Kingsessing Ave. from 49th St. to Cemetery Ave. and 58th to 61st from Cobbs Creek to Kingsessing Ave.
• Strawberry Mansion: Allegheny Ave. to Diamond Ave. from 22nd to 33rd streets
• West Fairhill: Front to 13th St. from Glenwood Ave. to Diamond St.
• West Philly: Parkside to Spring Garden from 52nd to 40th streets
The program uses mechanical brooms, sidewalk sweepers, push brooms and backpack blowers to clear trash. Compactors may also be used to remove larger items that were illegally dumped.
Over the next six months, the city will be posting no parking signs in areas where crews need space to clean streets. The city has an online map that allows residents to track parking restrictions and find updates on areas where cleanings are scheduled.
On streets where parking restrictions are posted, residents will be given two-week warning periods to move their cars before the Philadelphia Parking Authority begins issuing tickets. Vehicles that are left parked on streets scheduled for cleaning may cause program delays and rescheduled visits from sanitation crews.
Most of the street cleaning will be done between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. To limit inconveniences for residents, the city will have alternate street parking windows staggered among blocks from 9-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and 1-3 p.m. Some blocks will have weekly sidewalk and mechanical broom cleaning that will require vehicles to be moved. Crews will not work on city-observed holidays.
The program, which debuted in 2019 under former Mayor Jim Kenney, was expanded to more blocks in the program's 14 neighborhoods last year as part of Mayor Cherelle Parker's commitment to address quality of life issues. The Parker administration's Office of Clean and Green Initiatives started twice-weekly trash collection in Center City and South Philly in December, and that program will expand to West Philly and North Philly in the fall.
In her budget proposal last month, Parker called for another $130 million in funding for cleaning programs in Philadelphia. The mayor's plan would invest in more staff and resources to curb illegal dumping, create a special crew for bulk trash collection and expand regular cleaning of commercial corridors and surrounding streets to more neighborhoods.