The City of Highwood released an update to its snow removal plan for the coming winter season Thursday.
For the first time, the city will contract with a third party snow removal service to salt and plow main arteries like Green Bay Rd., Sheridan Rd., Highwood Ave., Western Ave. and Prairie Ave. as well as school zones. City crews will take care of secondary streets.
After clearing secondary streets, crews will focus on Metra stations and their respective parking lots followed by sidewalks around schools. Cleanup of the downtown business district will typically happen the morning after a major weather event.
In response to regular requests from residents for the city to plow the snow berms that can sometimes block driveways, the city said snow removal in front of driveways is residents' responsibility. Officials said clearing roadways as efficiently as possible is plowers' primary mission and it would take too long and cost too much to also clear every driveway in the city.
Along these lines, the city reminds residents that moving snow from driveways into the city streets is illegal as per city code.
Residents with further questions about this winter's snow removal policy can contact City Hall.
Alerts Sign-up