The Public Works Services
The Village
maintains over 55 miles of streets within the Village.
Maintenance activities include, but are not limited to:
snow removal and ice control, pavement markings, signage,
traffic signals, street lights, and right-of-way brush
removal.
Snow & Ice
Control
It is the Village’s commitment to maintain Village owned streets and public parking areas in a safe and passable condition especially in the winter months. In order to accomplish this, street crews apply highway deicer salt to pavement surfaces until snow accumulation reaches an 1 ½” or more. At that time, salting operations are suspended and plowing operations begin. During snow plowing operations, snow is pushed to the side of the street and is continuously repeated until the storm subsides. Once the storm has passed and all streets have been plowed of snow, a final drive-through pass of the Village is done and another application of salt is applied to rid the pavement of any unplowed snowpack. Under normal conditions, it is the goal of the department to have all streets plowed and salted within 10 hours after the storm has stopped. Obviously, with larger snowfall totals, completion times are extended.
As unfortunate as it seems, safety and traffic flow dictates that main streets be plowed first, followed by secondary streets and finally cul-de-sacs and dead-ends.
It is important to note that not all streets within the corporate limits of Oak Brook are the responsibility of the Village to plow. For instance, Rt. 83 and 22nd Street are plowed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), while 31st Street, Meyers Rd., Midwest Rd and the vast majority of York Rd. is plowed by DuPage County. A map depicting the areas of responsibility can be found on the Public Works page of the Village website at the following link: Snow Removal 2009. (This will take a few minutes to download.)
Concerns regarding these streets should be addressed to each agency; their telephone numbers can also be found on the Public Works page.
Leaf
Pick-up
The Village provides for an annual leaf collection program wherein residents can deposit their leaves on
the parkway adjacent to the street for the Village to collect and haul away. Prior to the start of the program,
which generally kicks off in mid-October, information that outlines the program
and establishes actual collection dates is posted on this website and provided
to Homeowners Associations. 2009
Schedule - Leaf Pickup Map.
Tree Pruning
Parkway tree pruning
is conducted on a regularly scheduled basis to maintain
the Village's inventory of over 9,000 trees in a
safe and healthy condition. In order to reduce the
severity of pruning, we have established a 4-year
cycle wherein all parkway trees are professionally
pruned every 4 years. The pruning program is contracted
out to professional companies whose crews are required
to have certified arborist as supervisors.
It is important
to note that in most instances, parkway trees are
required to be trimmed higher than private or yard
trees to avoid limb damage from passing trucks and
vehicles.
Storm
Sewers
In order to maintain positive drainage and to mitigate
potential contaminates from entering the various creeks
and drainage ways that wind through the Village, the Village
conducts storm sewer inlet cleaning on an annual basis.
Certain troublesome areas are repeatedly cleaned and cleared
of root growth, while trouble free areas are cleaned on
a 3-year cycle. Additionally, streets, both in the commercial
and resident neighborhoods, are routinely swept to maintain
a clean appearance while keeping debris from entering
and clogging the storm sewer system.
Sanitary Sewers
Sanitary sewers that serve individual homes or commercial
properties are either maintained by the Flagg Creek Water
Reclamation District or the Downers Grove Sanitary District
. Should you experience a sanitary backup or have concerns
regarding sanitary service, you should call whichever
district services your property.
Pedestrian/Bicycle
Safety Pathway
The Village's pedestrian and
bicycle safety pathway system is comprised of approximately
15 miles of stone and asphalt pathways that interconnect
many areas of the Village. Depending on the section,
maintenance of the system is the responsibility of
either the Village or the Oak Brook Park District.
Click to see Map . Inspections of the Village's portion
are conducted annually to insure that the system
is properly maintained.
Mosquito Abatement
Mosquito abatement services
are contracted out by the Village for the purpose
of 1.) reducing adult nuisance complaints and 2.)
mitigating disease vector should it arise. The emphasis
of the program is the eradication of mosquitoes while
they are still in the larval stage and are incapable
of biting. To this end, all standing bodies of water
are continuously inspected and treated if brooding
is discovered. Additionally, the larvalciding program
includes treatment of streets drainage inlets and
inaccessible areas by either helicopter or backpack
treatment techniques. As complete as we feel our
program is, it is impossible kill all mosquitoes.
As such, and to keep the nuisance level to an acceptable
level, we periodically conduct a Village-wide spray
(adulticiding). This "knocks
down" the adult population, but again, is only partially
effective.
Concerning West Nile Virus, when recommended
by our mosquito abatement contractor (an expert in
the field) and the Illinois Department of Public
Health, we will conduct Village-wide sprays to, again,
reduce the adult mosquito population, mitigating
the virus. Regardless, residents should take personal
steps to avoid exposing themselves. Residents should
also use the Mosquito Hotline to report possible
breeding sites (standing water) or nuisance conditions.
For more information, visit www.cdc
.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm |
