City of Highland Park Special Provisions

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ENGINEERING DIVISION
Responsibilities
The division also reviews plans for public improvements, including new subdivisions, grading and drainage plans for commercial and multi-family developments and improvements including public infrastructure, stormwater detention, floodplain, traffic and steep slope zone (ravine and bluff).

Office Visits by Appointment Only
At times residents or consultants visit Public Services Building to speak to an Engineering Division staff. While we offer such service on other areas, it is challenging or impractical to meet in person for unscheduled appointments due to Engineering Division staff being out on job sites or in meetings. If a resident or consultant wish to meet with an Engineering Division staff, please call ahead to make an appointment with the appropriate staff. The Engineering Division staff contact information is noted on this webpage. If you wish to speak on a general topic, please call Public Works at 847.432.0807 for additional details and to schedule an appointment. When contacting via phone message or email, please provide information on the requested matter so that staff can promptly address the concern. Thank you.

Various Engineering Items

Annual Facility Inspection Report

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) oversees activities to ensure waters in our streams and clean and free of pollutants. One method used to accomplish this task is to have local agencies such as the City of Highland Park develop a plan using Best Management Practices (BMP) to promote and implement procedures that result in clean waters in our streams. To ensure the City is implementing these BMPs an Annual Report is prepared and submitted to the IEPA confirming the BMPs are in place and working.

2019-2020 IEPA Annual Inspection Report
2020-2021 IEPA Annual Inspection Report
2021-2022 IEPA Annual Inspection Report
2022-2023 IEPA Annual Inspection Report

Benchmarks

The City has an established set of benchmarks that may be used for surveying purposes. The benchmark information is available for use by the public.

Bridges

There are a total of 18 vehicular bridges within the corporate limits of the City of Highland Park. Also there are a total of 8 pedestrian bridges. Two of the pedestrian bridges are owned by Lake County but maintained by the City. A map which provides bridge locations and bridge structure numbers is available here: BRIDGE MAP.

City Construction Projects

This page provides information for active projects such as the annual asphalt rehabilitation program, storm sewer and water main improvements, and federally funded projects such as the Clavey Road STP project.

City Special Provisions

The City has established a library of Special Provisions for use in the design and construction of Capital Projects. The Special Provisions provide detailed specifications for various items

City Engineering Standard Details

The City’s Engineering Standard Details provide details to ensure items such as meter pits, driveways, and other items are designed and constructed in accordance with City Code and to provide consistency in our infrastructure.

River Profiles-Skokie River and the North Branch Chicago River

The City has two rivers that traverse with the City corporate limits. These are the Skokie River and the North Branch of the Chicago River. The City conducted studies independent of FEMA flood studies. Through the City’s studies, the City established the City of Highland Park Floodplain along both rivers. Please note that in many locations the Highland Park floodplain provides a higher Base Flood Elevation compared to the FEMA base flood elevation. The river profiles as well as flood elevation data is available on the River Profiles webpage.

Storm Management Plan Program Plan

This Stormwater Management Program Plan (SMPP) was developed by the City of Highland. The purpose of the SMPP is to meet the minimum standards required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II program. Federal regulations through the USEPA require that all Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), partially or fully in urbanized areas based on the 2000 census, obtain stormwater permits for their discharges into receiving waters. The new version of the permit became effective on March 1, 2016. According to the new permit, MS4s have 180 days from the effective date of the permit to comply with any changes or new provisions contained in the permit. The SMPP describes the procedures and practices that can be implemented by the City of Highland Park toward the goal of reducing the discharge of pollutants within storm water runoff in order to comply with Federal standards.

Pavement Index Rating

This page provides information concerning the condition of City streets. The condition is based on a pavement survey that is conducted every three years.

2021 Pavement Test Data - Asphalt Streets
2021 Pavement Test Data - Concrete Streets

Stormwater Utility Fee

In 2006, the City implemented a stormwater utility fee which was calculated utilizing the areas of building footprints derived from the Geographic Information System (GIS) data for each property. An Impervious Area Unit (IAU) equal to 2,765 square feet is used as a base for the monthly charge. The City utilizes revenues obtained from the stormwater utility fee to help fund storm sewer improvement projects. These projects address issues such as replacing undersized and old pipes with newer pipes designed to current standards to carry the 10-year stormwater rainfall event. Additional information may be found in City Code Article IV. - Stormwater Utility Fee.

Truck Permits

Please use the following link to submit a permit application: https://www.oxcartpermits.com. The City of Highland Park issues permits through Oxcart Permit Systems for oversized and/or overweight vehicles driving on City roadways. The City is allowed 24-48 hours to process the permit. The permit must be filled out entirely and legibly. Any permit application not legible or not filled out completely will not be processed. When planning the route, it is the responsibility of the applicant to determine if a roadway has a restriction. Please utilize the Designated Truck Routing map, which indicates roadway jurisdiction and bridge classification to assist with route planning. The approved permit MUST be with the vehicle described in the permit at all times while operating on the streets within the City and shall be exhibited upon demand to any enforcement officer. Load Restrictions IDOT will be installing a "Legal Loads Only" sign on the structure carrying Deerfield Road over Old Skokie Road. The existing structure is safe. The load restriction is intended to minimize the stresses on the deteriorated structural elements until corrective measures can be taken.

Permits for Private Developments

Engineering Reviews for Private Developments The Engineering Division’s review of private developments is limited to only the Drainage and Grading for the following items:

Commercial Developments
Multi-Family Developments
Items in the Floodplain and Floodway
Items in the Steep Slope Zone (Ravines and Bluffs)

Reviews of single family residential developments are addressed by the Building Division in the City’s Community Development Department. For more information concerning reviews for single-family properties please contact the Building Division at 847.432.0808.

Engineering Reviews for Private Developments

Permits for private developments are issued by the City’s Community Development Department through its Building Division. The Department of Public Works does not review single-family residential permits. For permits, please visit the Building Division Website.

JULIE – CALL BEFORE YOU DIG!

JULIE stands for Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators. The mission of JULIE is to provide Illinois excavators and underground utility facility owners with a continuously improving one-call message processing and damage prevention education service for the safety and protection of underground facilities and the community. JULIE neither owns nor marks any underground utility lines. In Illinois, safe digging starts when you call JULIE at 8-1-1. Yes, it’s that easy. 8-1-1 is the nationwide 3-digit number to have your underground utility lines marked at no cost.