Engineering

One of the primary responsibilities of the Engineering Department is the administration of public improvements within the City. The Department prepares the 5-Year Capital Improvement Program (C.I.P.) and implements the program by producing designs, plans and specifications and managing construction of the improvements. The C.I.P., updated on an annual basis, addresses the City's infrastructure needs and includes street, water system, drainage, sewer and streetscape improvements. A component to the C.I.P. process is the pavement condition index that evaluates the condition of all City streets.

The Department also reviews development plans and building permit applications as they pertain to site drainage and the construction of public improvements. Department personnel also perform construction inspections relative to these improvements.

Civil engineering consultants are occasionally retained to work on major capital improvement projects, engineering reports and designs requiring unusual expertise. Accordingly, the Department recommends the employment of consultants and manages their performance on projects. A majority of project designs were performed in-house. On the construction, a majority of the project oversight is performed by city staff.

The Department interfaces with various outside agencies, such as the Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Cook County Highway Department, private utility companies, railroads and reviews and coordinates their permits and plans.

The Department disseminates public information such as floodplain data, benchmark elevations, locations of City utilities, and miscellaneous engineering data. Citizen requests pertaining to drainage, public improvements, and traffic concerns are investigated by the Department.