Streets Department seeks $79.6 million for FY26, cites resurfacing gains and expanded traffic-safety work

Kristen Del Rossi, Streets Commissioner, told the City Council continuance of the budget hearing that the Department of Streets is requesting $79,600,000 from the transportation fund for fiscal year 2026 and that the request supports staffing and core maintenance functions.

Del Rossi said the department is budgeting 832 full‑time and 846 part‑time positions and plans to add a second line‑striping crew to expand capacity for pavement markings. “Traffic safety is at the core of every service and project we deliver,” she said, and described the department’s work to “plan, design, build, maintain, repair, and manage the operation of our city's transportation network.”

The department reported several measurable achievements in the past year. Del Rossi said crews repaired more than 50,000 potholes and that “every pothole reported to 3‑1‑1 gets addressed in an average of three days.” Streets has resurfaced more than 50 miles so far this fiscal year and expects to exceed 100 miles by June, which Del Rossi said would be the first time the city reached that mark since February 2004. She credited prior administration and council investments and the department’s crews for the increase.

Del Rossi described the city’s traffic‑calming program as addressing speeding on 738 blocks and said that staff work across planning, paving, signage and striping to implement requests. On school crossing guards, she told council the department assigned “over 800 guards this year,” the largest number since Streets assumed the program. Deputy Commissioner Christopher Newman added that a pre‑orientation and other recruitment steps have reduced crossing‑guard turnover from 15% to 9% year‑over‑year and that hourly pay is $17.89.

Council members pressed for specifics about remaining backlogs and prioritization. Del Rossi said the department will publish its paving list following the hearings and that prioritization considers condition assessments, the age of pavement and on‑the‑ground inspections. Deputy Managing Director Michael Carroll said inspectors’ “eyes on the street” are heavily relied upon alongside a condition index, and the city is piloting machine‑vision tools to scale inspections.

On speed cushions, Del Rossi said about 108 have been installed near schools and 85 are in design. Council members asked whether the department has a staff person focused on community outreach around traffic‑calming; Carroll and Del Rossi said traffic engineers, the Office of Multimodal Planning and the Vision Zero task force collaborate on measures and that the city is working on public‑facing mapping tools to show status and improve transparency.

Council members also raised several infrastructure and operational concerns. Streets officials acknowledged an ongoing effort to stand up an ADA curb‑ramp construction crew after a recent curb ramp settlement and said the city will take on some ramp work but will continue to contract parts of the program while building capacity. On bridges, Carroll said an element of the Wyoming Avenue bridge deteriorated unexpectedly and forced an unplanned closure; the department said a limited traffic restoration project is being designed, timelines remain provisional, and the city is coordinating with PennDOT to increase inspection frequency and avoid similar surprises.

Del Rossi described the Philly street light improvement project, delivered in partnership with the Philadelphia Energy Authority, as a 30,000‑fixture LED conversion she said uses 50% less electricity and reduces emissions by roughly 10% while improving lighting and safety. She said the new line‑striping crew and other staffing changes are intended to sustain pavement marking and crosswalk maintenance.

Ending: Streets leaders committed to provide council members with the department’s paving list, district‑level breakdowns for traffic‑calming around schools, a crossing‑guard staffing report, and follow‑up information on specific bridge timelines and curb‑ramp delivery. They said some details — such as full cost estimates to clear the backlog of speed cushions — will be provided after further analysis.