Woonsocket Begins Annual Street Sweeping Program

WOONSOCKET, RI — The City of Woonsocket has launched its annual street sweeping program as of Monday, April 5, said Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt in a news release Tuesday.

The program will start in the East Woonsocket District and will move to the North End, Fairmount, Bernon, and Globe districts later in the season. Rolling electronic billboards will announce the schedule in each district.

"Winter is finally over, and it is time to sweep our City streets once again," said Baldelli-Hunt in a statement. "Street sweeping not only makes our streets look good and improves public safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, but it also helps prevent sand, salt and other debris from entering our storm drains and polluting our local waterways."

According to Public Works Director Steven D'Agostino, Woonsocket's streets are cleaner than they have ever been because the city has switched from using a sand and salt mixture to using a liquid brine solution to pretreat the roads ahead of winter storms. This requires the street sweepers to remove less sand waste, which means cleaner drainpipes, less waste, and a less expensive trash haul to the state's central landfill.

"My department takes a lot of pride in the cleanliness of our streets and our street sweeping program helps to improve both the quality of life of our residents and promote a cleaner environment," said D'Agostino in a statement.

This year's street sweeping will be in place for approximately 10 weeks, said the mayor. Residents and businesses are asked to do the following:

• Prior to the day of the street sweeping, push dirt and other debris from the abutting sidewalk onto the street so that it can be swept up.
• Keep all vehicles off the street on the announced street sweeping day until the sweeper has cleaned both sides of the street.
• Keep trash cans and yard waste bags behind the curb on the street sweeping day.