The city of Boston’s Public Works Department is re-working its citywide street sweeping schedule to more closely follow trash pickup in various Boston neighborhoods, and, in at least one neighborhood, is extending weekly street sweeping by two months each year.

Over the next two years, the city said it will phase in changes that ensure most streets are swept either one or two days after trash collection. Additionally, in the South End neighborhood, the program will run longer by two months – operating from March to December each year, instead of April to November.

"It has always been a very high priority for my administration to keep our wonderful city clean," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement. "We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our daily operations and by realigning the street sweeping schedule to match the weekly trash collection operations, we’re smartly maximizing the potential of each program to keep our streets clean."

To prepare for the beginning of the 2012 street sweeping season, the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) has updated street signs in South Boston, East Boston and Charlestown. Beginning in January, city crews are aiming to replace every sign in the South End to add two months (March and December) to the annual street sweeping program, and change sweeping days to follow trash collection more closely. Later this winter, signs in Roxbury, Allston and Brighton will be replaced to reflect the new changes, as well.