At Last, Sansom Street's Notorious Potholed Block Gleams with New Asphalt

The long-neglected asphalt on Sansom Street, between 23rd and 24th, has finally been paved. For over a year, the block was slashed with rough furrows, speckled with holes, and caked in turbulent ripples of concrete.

The street had been languishing for years, said Sheldon Jackson, a staff member at Bonner's Irish Pub which overlooks the block.

A week before the recent paving, while sweeping the sidewalk outside the pub, Jackson worried that the uneven street would injure someone. 

According to Jackson, construction workers were working on the road, “and then it just stopped. They never came back.” As to why the pavement repair became so delayed, he replied, “that's a question I couldn't answer.”

Keisha McCarty-Skelton, a spokesperson for the Department of Streets, said that “the street was left over from last year’s paving list.” Paving takes place over 4 steps, the first of which is milling, which involves grinding off the top layer of asphalt.

“After we milled, building construction occurred. Then utilities and plumbers occurred. These activities caused delays in the final paving,” McCarty-Skelton said.

City crews filled several of the deepest, most dangerous holes on August 17. Yet more potholes remained, and the asphalt was still ripped and uneven. 

Finally, on August 23, crews finished paving the notorious block. 

A week earlier, Dan Bonner, owner of Bonner's Irish Pub, said, "People are falling." He mentioned helping Susan Eisiminger, the self-proclaimed “mayor” of the block, up from the ground several times.

Bonner’s erected a popular outdoor tent during the COVID-19 pandemic to accommodate outdoor drinking and dining. The tent, however, could not return until the street was restored. While tables and chairs flank the side of the pub, the tent was “more fun,” Eisiminger recalled.

Bonner had called city council members and the police department about the issue. In response, the council people called the Department of Streets, according to an email sent to Bonner more than five months ago, and that's the last he had heard.

Kenyatta Johnson, the Philadelphia City Council member who represents Fitler Square, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Additional reporting by David Aragon