Snow Plowing Cost Philadelphia Taxpayers $18-Million, Streets Commissioner Says
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - City officials have tallied the cost of plowing the streets of Philadelphia during the wicked winter -- and the price tag is roughly three times that of a normal winter.
At a city council budget hearing, Streets Commissioner David Perri says his crews battled a total of eighteen storms in this just concluded winter, and cleared 68 inches of snow from the streets. This cost taxpayers about $18 million, compared to $6-7 million for an average winter.
Perri said they're now studying how to do things better.
"We've engaged the services of an engineering firm to evaluate our snow removal efforts, and to make recommendations on how we can improve it," he said.
Meantime the cleanup continues, as crews repair and re-time traffic signals, replace damaged signs and fill potholes. Perri said so far his crews have filled 26,000 potholes -- triple the number expected in after typical winter.