Category: Infrastructure

Roads and Bridges

Kim Stone

The City of Highland Park spends a significant portion of the budget each year on infrastructure maintenance and improvement, and uses several factors to prioritize this work. Below is more detail on how the City determines what to do when, adapted from a conversation with Highland Park’s Public Works Director.

Street resurfacing: The City has approximately 130 miles of streets which are tested every five years for surface condition, structural integrity and deflection movement. This data is used to generate a Pavement Condition Average Number (PCAN). The PCAN is a quantitative indicator of the overall condition of the pavement. This includes an evaluation of the sublayers and foundation of the pavement (generally 6-12 inches below the surface). While these layers are not visible as you drive, ride, or walk on the pavement, they are important to its overall structural integrity and are factors in the City’s plan for maintenance, rehabilitation, or full reconstruction of roads. Streets with a solid sublayer rating, but a poor surface rating may be a candidate for resurfacing, while a poor sublayer rating usually indicates the need for a full reconstruction. 

In addition, the City reviews underground utilities such as watermain, sanitary and storm sewers to determine whether they are in need of upgrade or full replacement. It doesn’t makes sense to resurface over infrastructure that is in need of replacement, so road resurfacing may be coordinated to line up with the needed underground work in a future year.  

The City seeks grant funding for infrastructure projects to lessen the burden on taxpayers. In the case of a grant funded reconstruction, the project may need align with the grant funding timeline, and must be in compliance with state and federal rules.  These grants typically cover 80% of project costs, and large infrastructure projects often involve several years of design and planning prior to construction. You can learn more about the City’s 2023 capital improvement projects here.

Construction

Kim Stone
Over the past few months I have heard from many residents with concerns and complaints about problems with City construction projects in Highland Park. I am sorry that so many people have been inconvenienced, and have been working with City Staff to ensure that we improve both our construction process and our communications in the future.
 
We will have a discussion about construction issues at the December 10, 2019 Committee of the Whole meeting. The meeting is open to the public, so please come and listen to the discussion. You can also email me if you have concerns to share. The meeting agenda will be posted here by December 6.

Railroad Crossing Closure

Kim Stone

Due to construction on the Metra tracks at Lake Cook Road east of Green Bay, the track crossing by Braeside station will be closed to all traffic from October 10 -17. Bikes and pedestrians can go east/west through the tunnel north of the Braeside station between the McClory Trail and Cherokee. Detour signs will be posted, and more information is here.

How do I know if there’s lead in my water?

Kim Stone

We recently tested the water in public buildings in Highland Park for lead, and are taking steps to remedy areas where contamination was discovered. Here’s a list of certified labs that you can contact if you’d like to test the water in your home for lead. More information on lead and how it gets into drinking water is here. The City of Highland Park regularly tests drinking water, you can find information on the quality of the water here. 

Street Lights and Potholes

administrator

A friend of mine called me recently about an issue on her street. The street light in front of her home hadn’t worked in the 9 years she had lived there. I reported the outage to City staff who relayed the message to ComEd, and it was fixed within days. If you notice something that isn’t right — whether it’s a broken street light or a sagging power line or a pot hole — please report it to the City. You can call the pothole hotline at (847) 926-1178 with the address/location of potholes, or report street light outages here.

Aging in Place and Complete Streets

administrator

Just before her 99th birthday, we convinced my grandma to give up her driver’s license. While I’ve been an advocate of Complete Streets and Active Transportation for many years, I’ve been thinking more about how someone like my grandma can continue to live independently in the suburbs without a car. There are many options now that did not exist in past years, like ride share services and safer streets. AARP is a proponent of Complete Streets, and here’s a video about why it’s a good policy for older adults. Share your thoughts on this subject by emailing me.

Green Bay Trail Improvements Proposed

administrator

The portion of the Green Bay Trail within Highland Park is officially called the McClory Trail. The City of Highland Park has received a grant from the Transportation Enhancements Program to pay for 70% of the cost of paving our portion of the Trail. Paving would enable use of the trail year round and increase accessibility for people with disabilities. Click here for more information.

Highland Park does not truly experience darkness … Should we care?

administrator

This was the first slide of a presentation given at the Natural Resources Commission meeting this month. I believe the answer is, yes, we should care. There are many benefits to reducing light pollution beyond improving our view of the stars. The health of birds and pollinators is impacted by the lack of darkness.  We can increase energy efficiency and provide better lighting by directing it where it’s needed, thereby reducing light pollution. There may be benefits to human health and safety, too. Simply considering this issue in the design and purchase of new fixtures would have a significant impact.