City continues plans to upgrade street sweeper program

Published on April 25, 2024

The City of Huntsville is continuing to move forward with upgrading and expanding its street sweeper program. City Administrator John Hamilton updated the City Council on the program in a presentation at Thursday’s meeting.

Hamilton said the City has added two street sweepers to its fleet in the 2024 fiscal year. Three more sweepers have been ordered by the City but it takes about a year for a sweeper to be delivered. Altogether, the City has six large sweepers and three smaller ones. Two more sweepers are planned to be ordered later this year as the City works toward building its fleet to expand the program.

The delay in delivery is “really a challenge,” Hamilton said, when it comes to growing the program.

Once the City receives its new street sweepers, there are plans to upgrade numbers in personnel as necessary.

Hamilton said the City is strategic in deploying the street sweepers. Some neighborhoods have a greater need for the sweepers than others, particularly older neighborhoods that may have more trees and falling leaves that create a greater risk to storm drains becoming clogged. After a neighborhood is identified as needing a street sweeper, the City adds it to its schedule to maintain clean streets and clear storm drains.

The street sweepers routine scope of work includes 157 major thoroughfare streets as well as state-maintained highways with concrete barriers (such as Interstate 565, Research Park Boulevard and Memorial Parkway). The sweepers are also utilized in the downtown district, cemeteries, Cummings Research Park and public garages and parking lots.

Sweepers can also be deployed as needed for spills or to illegal dumping sites.