Street sweepers will begin Oct. 8 cleaning all Brookhaven’s city streets totaling some 254 lane miles. Plans are for the street sweeping to be finished by the end of the month as weather allows, according to city officials.
Last year, street sweepers were used following Hurricane Irma to clear debris from major streets. In May, the city paid for street sweepers to clean 58 lane miles of road. This is the first time since the city was founded that all city streets will be cleaned with street sweepers, according to Mayor John Ernst.
Public Works Director Hari Karikaran explained that in order to minimize the impact on traffic, Operation Clean Sweep will occur only at night. In addition to garbage and dirt, the trucks scoop up potential road hazards like hardware and other bits of metal that can puncture tires, he said.
The street sweeping is part of the city’s road rehabilitation plans. In 2018, The Public Works Department paved 40 streets totaling more than 13 lane-miles. Since 2014, the city has spent over $12 million on city streets and paved nearly 48 lane-miles of roads. The city’s Pavement Condition Index, which ranges from 0 to 100 and used to indicate the general condition of roads, has risen from 60 to 70.43 since the city was founded, according to city officials.
Street sweeping will occur between dusk and dawn to minimize impact on traffic, according Karikaran.