The Department of Streets maintains 320 bridges and 2,525 miles of streets and highways. Submit a maintenance request or learn about the department’s operations.
Report a maintenance issue
Other services
Sidewalks, alleys, driveways, and retaining walls
Sidewalks, alleys, driveways, and retaining walls are private property. They belong to the property owner. The City does not own or maintain them. It is the responsibility of owners to maintain them in safe and sanitary conditions.
The owners of all abutting properties generally have the right to use the entire length of an alleyway or driveway. This is written in the deed.
All property owners who have deed rights for the use of alleyways, driveways, and retaining walls must share costs for repairs or reconstruction. Even if only parts of an alley, driveway, or retaining wall need repair, all responsible property owners must share the cost of the repair.
Paving
Street paving keeps Philadelphia roadways safe and smooth. The Department of Streets shares updates on paving operations so people traveling around the city can plan appropriately.
Capital projects
- Island Avenue improvement project
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Bridge rehabilitation project
- 59th Street Bridge replacement project
- Falls Bridge rehabilitation project
- Pine Road Bridge over Pennypack Creek replacement project
- Cherokee Street Bridge rehabilitation project
- 30th Street Viaduct rehabilitation project
Historic streets restoration
A roadway that represents another period of street paving in Philadelphia or that provides a visual record of the city’s past is a historic street. The City of Philadelphia maintains hundreds of historic streets.