After a harsh winter, "ridiculous" potholes across Philadelphia are frustrating residents
After a harsh winter, potholes are emerging across Philadelphia, frustrating drivers and prompting city officials to push for new solutions.
At Fourth and Bainbridge streets in the Queen Village neighborhood, drivers are slowing, stopping and swerving to avoid two large potholes stretching across the roadway.
"This one right here is just ridiculous," said Alex Germain, a Queen Village resident. "It's probably one of the worst ones I've seen in a long time. It almost looked like a sinkhole for a while."
Citywide, similar conditions can be found from South Philadelphia to University City to Northern Liberties, with residents describing deteriorating road conditions and temporary fixes that fail to last.
Germain said crews had previously attempted repairs at the Queen Village intersection but did not address the underlying problem.
"They just kinda filled it in with sand and didn't really do anything to really solve the main issue," Germain said. "It's kinda like a temporary fix, and we know it's not gonna last very long."
The Philadelphia Department of Streets said it repaired more than 60,000 potholes last year and has already fixed more than 26,000 so far this year. Officials expect that number to rise following the winter season, which typically makes road damage worse due to freezing and thawing cycles.
Despite those efforts, some residents say the work has not kept pace with the problem.
"Every year, there's a big campaign, 'we're going to do the job,'" said Sunny Payne of South Philadelphia. "And then the next year, it's as bad as it was the year before."
In response, Mayor Cherelle Parker has proposed creating a "One Philly Pothole Squad," a program that would assign dedicated maintenance teams to each of the city's six highway districts.
"More crews, more equipment and more action," Parker said in outlining the plan.
The proposed program would cost about $7 million annually and aims to improve response times and allow crews to proactively patrol neighborhoods for repairs.
"The pothole squad will respond faster and more proactively when they're patrolling neighborhoods," Parker said.
To fund the initiative, Parker has proposed a 25-cent tax on certain delivery services, which she said could generate more than $15 million annually for street repairs. The tax would not apply to essential items such as food, baby products, medications and medical devices.
"Businesses that rely on our streets for deliveries — very simple — they'll have to help us maintain them," Parker said.
The proposal is currently under consideration by city council as part of the mayor's budget plan. If approved, the delivery tax would take effect in July 2027.
