Streets

The Streets Division is part of the Public Works Department. The Streets Division takes care of 125 miles of public roads in the city. These roads include:

• 79 miles of asphalt streets

• 28 miles of oil and chip streets

• 1,000 feet of brick streets

• 18 miles of concrete streets

Our street crews and private contractors work to keep our roads in good shape. Some of the work they do includes:

• Fixing roads with asphalt, patching holes, and sealing cracks

• Painting lines on roads, parking lots, crosswalks, and bike lanes

• Helping with drainage problems, trimming trees, mowing, and cleaning ditches along roads

• Sweeping 116 miles of roads with curbs and gutters

• Fixing and taking care of 80 miles of sidewalks

• Taking care of 30 traffic signals, all street signs, and the decorative streetlights downtown

• Clearing roads after snow, ice, or storms

Many of these jobs are paid for with Motor Fuel Tax funds. This is money collected by the State of Illinois from taxes on gas. A portion of that money is given to the city to help pay for street repairs and maintenance.

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