PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia drivers have to deal with large potholes every day, but if you drive down this section of Federal Street in South Philly, you could lose your bumper — or worse.
Drivers have to slam on their brakes near the intersection of 17th and Federal streets — that is, if they first see the large opening in the pavement that stretches across most of the road.
Construction has left a 2- to 3-inch-deep hole in the middle of Federal Street for the better part of a year, muddying the sidewalk and aggravating drivers and neighbors alike.
"We'll hear cars bottom out and people cursing and screaming out their windows," said neighbor Sydney Aizen. "And it's not like a pothole you can go over. It's literally, like, a giant crater."
The ditch extends into the sidewalk, too, which is the pits for Aizen, who lives right next door. She has a newborn baby and struggles to get out of her house with a stroller.
"I've seen people with walkers who have to walk around Federal Street to get around the hole, and it's just so dangerous," she said.
The neighborhood affectionately named the hazard the "Point Breeze mud pit" — even making it a historical landmark on Google Maps, before it was taken down. Some Google reviews jokingly called it a Point Breeze staple and a must-see attraction in the neighborhood, though the staple surely won't be missed whenever it is finally repaired.
"If somebody's flying by on one of those motorized scooters or a bike, there's no marking to show there's a hole there," said Aizen. "Somebody could get killed."
Neighbors said they filed several 311 requests, but were told the problem was resolved.
In a statement, the Philadelphia Streets Department said it "reached out to the property owner and contractor to address the sidewalk. For the utility ditch in the roadway the concrete base was repaired and is on our list for final restoration as soon as asphalt material is available. Asphalt work is weather dependent and with the recent warm weather the Asphalt plants are starting to resume operations."
