Why is this deer still here? And other things on I-95
Whose job is it clean up public roads in Philadelphia?
A deer carcass on the side of Interstate 95 in Pa. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
During his commute to WHYY, John Mussoni drives past the Philadelphia International Airport on I-95 north across the street from Sheraton Suites.
For the past few weeks, he has seen the same dead deer on the side of the road. He has even run into people during his workday that have also spotted the decaying animal.
According to him, it’s been at least five weeks.
Whose job is it to clean up public roads in Philadelphia?
That depends on what needs cleaning. If it’s generic trash, that’s the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s job. PennDOT has been spending half of its cleanup budget in the city.
Large animal carcasses, such as deer, are the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Game Commission on any generic road.
If it’s a state road, drivers can call PennDOT at 1-800-FIX-ROAD. If there’s a dead animal on a state road, drivers can call the local PennDOT county office where someone can arrange for removal.
There’s another option to report. You can call the Philadelphia Streets Department or go to its website to request a carcass be removed.
All of these options heavily rely on residents reporting a problem.
Here are some people who have also noticed the problem over the years.
Saw a giant dead rat on the sidewalk on Market East. Good morning, Philadelphia!
— RJ Cannot Believe That He (@rj_white) March 14, 2012
This man treats it like a typical Philadelphian.
Philadelphia Is so sh**** that animals sit on the side of the road dead until they turn into carcasses
This pitbull is dead and has been sitting in this spot for 2 weeks now smfh shithole Philadelphia for yah
— ✭☘Uncle Steve☘✭ (@Lambjrstephen) October 22, 2018
Evidenced by the visual decaying, this deer has been there awhile.
2:30pm Dog has been removed from location (don’t know by who). 24 hours to pick up a deceased animal in a populated area with a lot of children, covered in flies is not good. #phillyanimalsdeservebetter. I hope he can finally rest peacefully.
— PhillyAdopt (@phillyadopt) June 14, 2018
Earlier tweets from @phillyadopt explained that at one point a landscaping company mowed around the dead dog. By that point, the dog had already been there for over 17 hours.
Philadelphia Police just shutdown this street and corner for a dead squirrel… pic.twitter.com/yhKKvzptTC
— LEEKS (@TheRealLicameli) September 21, 2015
According to @TheRealLicameli, there are definitely some people who take the issue very seriously.
I don’t know what’s more disgusting.the dead squirrel on the sidewalk or the dirty underwear.smh #philadelphia
— CrystalLea (@MissRys) August 22, 2011
@MissRys tweeted that in 2011. Hopefully, it’s gone by now.
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