Philadelphia Smooth Streets

WELCOME TO THE
PHILADELPHIA STREETS DEPARTMENT
OPERATION SMOOTH STREETS WEBSITE

Clarena I. W. Tolson, Streets Commissioner


	*Is it a pothole?* Can a hole by any other name, still be called a hole? A hole in the road surface can be a pothole, a utility ditch or a cave-in.

The Streets Department launched an aggressive and innovative initiative to improve the quality of roadways in Philadelphia. Through Operation Smooth Streets, the City of Philadelphia will provide an improved roadway maintenance schedule, extending the life cycle of roads and an improved quality of life for citizens.

The focus of this strategy is to provide a targeted and heavy attack on roadway street defects. The result will be less long-term degradation damage of the street surface. Operation Smooth Streets will ensure that high-quality repairs are made to potholes and the City’s roadways. Below is a list of the most common street defects.

POTHOLES are bowl-shaped or irregular shaped holes in the asphalt layer of the roadway.

CAVE-INS (sometimes called sinkholes) are irregular shaped holes that penetrate through the concrete base caused by undermining.

DITCHES are rectangular excavations in the roadway. These cuts are made by utilities and plumbers to reach underground lines

Examples of street defects	Click Here to Report a Street Defect
Frequently Asked Questions	Click Here to Learn About or Request Other Streets Department Services
	or contact the Customer Service Unit by phone at 215-686-5560