Streets and Right-of-Ways

The Village owns and maintains approximately 35.5 centerline miles of roadways (streets and alleys) within the corporate limits of River Forest. Public Works is responsible for the maintenance, repair and improvement of Village streets, alleys, and right-of-ways. All public right-of-ways in River Forest are owned and maintained by the Village except for the following which are owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and maintained by the Village through an intergovernmental maintenance agreement with the state:

• North Avenue
• Harlem Avenue
• Lake Street
• Madison Street
• Thatcher Avenue (between Chicago Avenue and North Avenue)
• Chicago Avenue (between Thatcher Avenue and the Des Plaines River)

Maintenance of the parkway portion of the right-of-way is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. One exception to this is the maintenance of parkway trees - only Village crews are permitted to maintain parkway trees.

Street Sweeping
Public Works is responsible for the Village’s street sweeping program. River Forest streets are swept throughout the year (weather permitting) during the daytime hours. River Forest streets are swept as many times as the weather will allow.

Pothole Patching
Public Works is responsible for pothole patching on Village and IDOT roadways. If you observe a pothole, please call the Public Works Department at 366-8500 or send an e-mail to pwd@river-forest.us to submit a service request directly to Public Works.

Snow Removal Regulations
Village Ordinance prohibits the following: parking vehicles on any street or alley at any time after the snow on the street or alley exceeds two inches in depth and for an eight hour period following the cessation of the snowfall; and the placement of snow or ice on any Village-owned street, alley, sidewalk, or property. Village Ordinance also requires property owners to clear the sidewalks adjacent to their properties (residential and business) of snow and ice within 24 hours after a snowfall.

To minimize the amount of snow that is pushed back onto your driveway apron from Village snow plows, it is recommended that you shovel, blow, and/or plow snow onto the parkway - to the right of your driveway when you are facing the street. Please do not shovel, blow, and/or plow snow directly onto the street or alley as it will likely be pushed back onto your driveway apron.

All snow removal contractors must be properly licensed and bonded with the Village.

Street Signs
Public Works is responsible for the manufacturing, installation, and repair of street signs. We ask that damaged or missing street signs be reported immediately to the Public Works Department at 366-8500 or e-mailed to pwd@river-forest.us for replacement or repair.

Requests for new stop signs should be directed to the River Forest Police Department at 366-8500. Requests for replacement or other signs should be directed to the Public Works Department at 366-8500 or e-mailed to pwd@river-forest.us to submit a service request directly to Public Works.

Street Lights and Traffic Signals
Public Works is responsible for replacing street light and traffic signal lamps that are not working. If you observe a street light or traffic signal that is not working, please call the Public Works Department at 366-8500 or send an e-mail to pwd@river-forest.us to submit a service request directly to Public Works.

If you observe that an alley light mounted on a utility pole is out, visit ComEd's website to report the outage.

Barricades
Public Works delivers barricades for block parties and other civic events. Contact the Village at 366-8500 or visit the Block Party Permit page of our website if you wish to request a permit and schedule a block party.