注意！唐人街部分道路封路施工，进行电力基础设施改造

By now, many residents and business owners of Chinatown will have noticed the street closures and work happening in the neighborhood. 

The Streets Department is repaving from 13th Street down to Second Street from around Callowhill to Market Street. Depending on the Street, this could vary. The upcoming street closure may have a significant impact on business due to its location at the intersection of 10th Street and Race Street, which serves as the center of Chinatown.

The Streets Department will make every effort to minimize disruption to traffic, but we urge residents to plan ahead and use alternative routes when traveling and allow extra time when traveling around the work areas, said Carlton Williams, Streets Commissioner.

“Also, we urge residents to move their cars from areas where work is being done when the Temporary No Parking is posted so that your vehicles are towed.”

If your car is towed, please contact the 6th Police District (215-686-3060) to determine its location.

While the Streets Department is working to improve road conditions, PECO is enhancing its infrastructure in the area. 

“PECO is investing approximately 7.8 billion dollars over the next five years across our electric and natural gas systems to inspect the equipment, complete targeted system enhancements and corrective maintenance, invest in new equipment, and perform vegetation management,” said Brian Ahrens, a Senior Communications Specialist for PECO.

“Restaurant and grocery store owners in Chinatown have long complained about frequent electrical outages caused by outdated equipment servicing the neighborhood,” said Dan Tsao, owner of EMei, and co-president of the Philadelphia Chinatown Business Association. “These outages disrupt the use of store Point of Sale systems and credit machines, leading to spoilage in cold storage.”

According to the Streets Department, the work was expected to be done by the end of May but could last until mid-June. The resurfacing work will be broken into three phases: milling (removing old asphalt), adjusting utility hole covers, resetting utility boxes, and final paving.

The Milling work will be done between 7 pm and 5 am, lasting one to two weeks for all affected streets. Adjusting utility hole covers and resetting utility boxes will be scheduled during the day between 7 am and 4 pm and is expected to last approximately two to three weeks. The contractor will perform final paving during overnight hours between 7 pm and 5 am and the last two weeks.

As the Streets Department makes its improvements, PECO will replace and upgrade its equipment in coordination with the City.

“These investments will make our grid more robust, weather-resistant, and less vulnerable to storm damage,” said Ahrens. “PECO is also applying advanced technologies that will automatically restore service more quickly and isolate damage, helping reduce outages and enhance customer service.”

“While outages are less frequent than in previous years, the investment in our community by PECO and the City is desperately needed for our community to grow and prosper,” added Tsao.

The work is part of a six-year Capital Investment Plan by City Hall to improve infrastructure throughout the City, with a strong focus on underinvested communities. The money for these infrastructure improvements comes from private, City, state, and federal investments, pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into our communities through at least 2029.

The Federal investments for these infrastructure projects come from a series of infrastructure packages passed by the Biden Administration while Democrats held power in both houses of Congress.

That portion of the funding is under threat if House Republicans don’t agree to a clean Federal Debt Limit increase or can make deep cuts to the federal budget later this year.

Between fiscal years 2018 and 2023, the City has invested an average of 17.8 million in tax-supported and general obligation funds to improve commercial corridors, industrial areas, and parks to increase economic activity. Overall, the City plans to invest more than 487 million to enhance public and private development and infrastructure projects like those happening in Chinatown and other underinvested neighborhoods.

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