Public Works Services

Maintenance Activities

The Village maintains over 55 miles of streets. 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 1 1/2 inches 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, Route 83 and 22nd Street are plowed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), while 31st Street, Meyers Road, Midwest Road and the vast majority of York Road is plowed by DuPage County.

For a map depicting the areas of responsibility, please see the Snow Plow Map (PDF).

Concerns regarding these streets should be addressed to each agency; their telephone numbers can be found at Public Works.

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 see Leaf Pick Up Map (PDF). Prior to the start of the program, which generally kicks off in mid-October, information that outlines the program and establishes actual collection dates can be found at Autumn Leaves Schedule (PDF).

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 four-year cycle wherein all parkway trees are professionally pruned every four 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 contaminants from entering the various creeks and drainage ways, 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 three-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 (PDF) 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. Inspections of the Village's portion are conducted annually to ensure that the system is properly maintained.

Mosquito Abatement

Mosquito abatement services are contracted out by the Village for the purpose of reducing adult nuisance complaints and 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 larviciding 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 to 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 the Center for Disease Control.