Frustrated South Philly residents speak out over construction chaos
Construction chaos in South Philly has residents fed up
Residents in a South Philadelphia neighborhood say they are frustrated after months of construction chaos.
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - A South Philadelphia construction project has gone on nearly a year, with several streets upended, leaving residents with no room to safely get around and nowhere to park. They want city leaders to get involved and address the situation.
What they're saying:
"It’s pretty much a nightmare for months," a woman said. "Equipment is practically in our living rooms."
"There’s just so much stuff going on. It takes us so long to get around. It takes forever," said one little girl.
"We can’t even park. There’s nowhere to park. The Parking Authority coming around giving us tickets," resident Nick Masino said.
"It’s super frustrating. Parking’s bad enough. It’s just a mess. Dirty," said one woman.
What we know:
Residents living along two long blocks of Juniper Street in South Philadelphia, between Moyamessing and Ritner streets, have seen the roads torn up, patched up and closed off, while work goes on. Homeowners say there are no visible No Parking signs showing, with no parking and no end in sight.
Residents are frustrated:
"It’s a mess. We need a brand-new street up there. We actually need a brand-new street," resident Lisa DiGiovananntonio explained. "We’ve been fighting with the city years to get a brand-new street."
"There’s some work going on, but you’re not happy with this work?" asked FOX 29’s Steve Keeley.
"Nope they broke my step and all," DiGiovananntonio answered.
Other neighbors also spoke of the work to fix things on the street that has actually broken things on the street and on their stoops.
"None of this was cracked. None of it down to the pole so the weight of that sunk in the street. Cracked this gentleman’s pavement all the way down to the pole," Nick Masino stated.
He continued, "They’ve had multiple sinkholes here that they’ve filled. There was one right here – seven, eight feet. Everything was washed out. There was one down there. It sank three times, they had to fill it."
"So, you’re afraid of future damage to your home?" asked Keeley.
"Absolutely there’s people getting water now," Masino replied.
More frustration:
"Is the work progressing or is it taking forever?" Keeley asked.
Resident Albert Cunningham answered, "It seems like it’s taking forever."
"How long has this street been torn up like this?" Keeley pressed on.
"Couple months, couple months," Cunningham said.
"Are you worried there’s damage or water is gonna get in your house with all this?" Keeley asked.
"They broke the bricks. Supposedly they’re supposed to fix what they broke, is what they’re saying," Cunningham replied.
Keeley continued, "Do you trust they’re gonna fix what they broke?"
"To be honest with you, no. I can’t wait till it’s all done," Cunningham answered.