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.