City of Lakewood, Ohio - Streets & Forestry

Department of Public Works- Division of Streets and Forestry
Lakewood City Hall 12650 Detroit Ave. Lakewood, OH 44107 (216) 529-6810 Email Division of Streets and Forestry

Mission Statement
The Division of Streets and Forestry is responsible for street pavement maintenance operations, pavement and sidewalk repair following City utility work, sidewalk inspections, snow and ice control, forestry operations on public property, fall leaf pick up, street signs and traffic signals maintenance, pavement striping and street sweeping.

PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE
Street pavement repairs can be divided into two categories: maintenance and capital reconstruction. The large capital reconstruction projects are managed by the Division of Engineering and Construction. Pavement maintenance consist of regularly scheduled operations such as filling cracks and rejuvenating newer asphalt surfaces, sealing the joints on concrete pavements as well as minor repairs such as pothole filling. In addition, contractors are hired to remove and replace larger sections of deteriorated asphalt pavement.

REPORT A POTHOLE

The Division of Streets works on a continual basis to repair potholes throughout the City. Potholes are rated and prioritized to be fixed according to severity of the pothole and the location of the pothole (main street, busy side streets with a lot of traffic, other side streets).

If you would like to report a pothole, click here to e-mail the location of the pothole (including the closest street address) and the pothole will be put on our list to be fixed. The Division of Streets thanks you for your patience and cooperation when reporting potholes.

PAVEMENT AND SIDEWALK REPAIR
When other Divisions excavate and repair underground utilities, temporary patching material is applied to the pavement or sidewalk. The Division of Streets then constructs the permanent repairs, which generally are performed within a month or two, or the following spring if the utility work occurred during winter. The Division is fortunate to have on staff skilled and experienced concrete and asphalt installers.

SIDEWALK INSPECTION PROGRAM
The Division performs sidewalk inspections throughout the City. Our Sidewalk Inspector will note cracked sidewalk blocks and provide the responsible property owner of the need to perform repairs. If the owner chooses, they can participate in the City's sidewalk repair program which occurs twice a year.
Click here for a list of contractors who are registered with the City of Lakewood.

SNOW AND ICE CONTROL
During winter storms, the City of Lakewood's 93 miles of streets are cleared by trained and certified operators. Our crews receive annual training conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Salt Institute and the Ohio State University Department of Civil Engineering. Our "home base" is the service garage at City Hall, which is manned almost continuously from mid December until the end of March. Equipment is kept in tip-top condition and personnel are on stand-by to ensure quick response to rapidly changing weather conditions.

Close attention is paid to current weather conditions and forecasts. Factors such as wind, temperature and moisture conditions determine our snow and ice control strategy. Light snow falls are generally handled by salting. Plowing begins when heavy, continuous snow falls are predicted. Plowing and/or salting operations are continuous until all of the streets are cleared. The following strategies are employed:

•	Main streets are given priority to ensure emergency vehicles can respond to calls.
•	School zones, hills and municipal parking lots are treated promptly.
•	Main streets are salted completely.
•	Side street salting is concentrated at hills, intersections, curves, school zones and railroad crossings.
•	During large storms, City-wide snow emergency parking restrictions may be implemented on posted streets if an emergency snow ban is declared.
Please be aware of the following:
•	The biggest impediment to clearing snow from side streets are parked cars. If your car is parked on the street, please move it to a location already cleared of snow as quickly as possible. This will reduce the time it takes to restore normal traffic flow as well as the amount of extra shoveling required of the residents.
•	Snow plows and salt trucks are heavy and can skid on icy pavements. Please keep a safe distance and respect the job they are doing for you.
•	Any and all complaints are investigated and, if needed, remedied as soon as conditions allow.

EMERGENCY SNOW PARKING BANS

Whenever there is snow fall of two (2) inches or more within a twenty-four (24) hour period, the emergency snow ban takes effect. The snow ban restrictions on parking take effect without any requirement of an announcement by the City of Lakewood.

In the event of a snow fall of two inches or more, parking is not permitted on streets posted as emergency snow ban streets. Motorists should always consult the posted signs, and be advised that in the event of a snow fall of two inches or more, the emergency snow parking bans will be enforced.

Lakewood Codified Ordinance 351.26 contains the provisions of the emergency snow parking bans.

FORESTRY
The City of Lakewood maintains all of the trees on public property, including those on tree lawns. Trees are removed when they are diseased or dead and pose a danger to the public. A certified urban forester supervises a crew of arborists who have all of the required equipment to trim branches, remove diseased trees including the stumps, plant new trees and shred the resulting wastes for recycling into mulch. Tree lawn trees are replaced according to a master reforestation plan. Mulch is available to Lakewood residents free of charge at the location near the Animal Shelter in the Rocky River valley. Logs are also available to residents for use as fire wood free of charge at the same location.

Click here for information on the Gypsy Moth Infestation.
Click here for information on the Emerald Ash Borer Infestation.

LEAF PICK UP
The annual fall leaf collection program begins on the first Monday in November and continues for a minimum of three collections over a six week period. This schedule will generally be adjusted to account for interfering weather conditions. Leaves and other yard wastes are collected at other times throughout the year when residents place them in the standard paper yard waste bags on the regular refuse collection days.
Click here for 2008 Leaf Pickup schedule information.

STREET SIGNS AND TRAFFIC SIGNALS
This Division maintains all street signs, traffic signals and pavement striping in the City. A full-time Professional Engineer experienced in traffic engineering is on staff to perform studies and designs to improve the safety and efficiency of traffic flow in our community. The Signs and Signals Shop, located on City property behind the Beck Center, contains a fully equipped sign manufacturing facility. The Signals crew is on 24 hour call to quickly respond to inoperative traffic signals due to storm damage.

STREET SWEEPING
This Division maintains two modern street sweepers that are employed throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons. The purpose of the street sweeping program is to remove trash and grit that can enter the sewer system as well as to help provide a tidy appearance to our community. The street sweepers also assist with the fall leak collection process. We ask that all residents who use on-street parking to please move their cars when the street is posted for sweeping. This will enable our crews to do a much more thorough cleaning job.