A City of Burlington intersection shows 2 different names on the same street, and some residents are irked

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Samuel Richter, a City of Burlington resident, said he is frustrated.

For at least two years, he has been trying to get someone to correct a street sign in his neighborhood, but his quest has not yielded any results.

“I spoke originally to the city administrator, and she did grant me a meeting about it,” he said, adding that he also reached out to the mayor. “Nevertheless, the problem remains, because the street sign remains.”

The conflicting signage is at a corner of Pearl Pointe Luxury Apartments, where Richter lives. One end of the intersection indicates the crossroads as Stacy Street and East Pearl Street. On the opposite corner, the street sign says it is Stacy Street at East Pearl Boulevard.

All signs, no pun intended, indicate that it is an error.

Google Maps indicates that East Pearl Street splits at St. Mary Street and becomes two streets. Pearl Boulevard runs closest to the Delaware River, while East Pearl Street runs between the two buildings comprising the Pearl Pointe apartments. The earliest Google Street View image indicates the error has been around since October 2022. Richter said he is exhausted seeing the error every time he walks out of his apartment.

City officials have not yet responded to a request for comment.

According to the Burlington City website, the Department of Public Works is responsible for repairing or replacing street and road signs. According to the city’s official website, that department handles a range of street-related tasks, including repairing or replacing road signs, maintaining city streets, facilities, and public grounds and conducting pothole repair, snow removal and street sweeping.

Few of Richter’s neighbors at the Pearl Pointe Luxury Apartments said they did not notice the signage discrepancy until WHYY News pointed it out.

“I don’t think I’ve even looked at these street signs,” said Warren Smith, who recently moved into Pearl Pointe, adding he had not seen anything like it.

“It’s weird because there’s one on each side of the street,” he said, wondering if it was a mistake. “It’s a first time for me.”

Cynthia Lovenduski, who has lived at the complex for four years, said the building’s management should fix it. She pointed out the difference between the two signs that goes beyond the conflicting names. The correct street sign has rounded edges and hangs from a fancy, black signpost. Lovenduski said she believes that the sign is owned by the complex. The incorrect sign has straight edges and is held up by a gray metal pole.

A representative for the company that manages Pearl Pointe said that it was a matter for the city and declined to comment further.

Richter said one of his concerns is that the error could be confusing for visitors. He is complimentary of city officials for the job they have done overall, but he wants them to fix the error that he has to look at every day.

“In most matters, the mayor has been very effective,” he said. “Which makes me all the more frustrated as to why this hasn’t been either explained or changed,” he added.

Editor’s note: This story originated from our interactions with community members at WHYY News’ pop-up newsroom event at the Willingboro Public Library. The pop-up newsroom was made possible thanks to the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.