City Of Joliet Sidewalks Upkeep, Maintenance Program, Remain A High Priority: City Hall Officials

JOLIET, IL — The city of Joliet's spokeswoman assured Joliet Patch on Friday morning that a stretch of unpaved city sidewalk along the north side of Essington Road near Black Road is going to be fixed today or early next week.

Earlier this week, Joliet Patch submitted photos to City Hall in preparation for publishing this story. A Joliet resident who walks along the area has taken a number of photos in recent months showing various sections of the sidewalk remaining in a state of disrepair. It's a tremendous safety hazard for other residents and an enormous financial liability for the city of Joliet should someone get hurt at the site.

"The sidewalk in the photograph you provided was removed as part of a fire hydrant replacement by Public Utilities crews. The sidewalk is on the restoration list and should be completed today or early next week, weather permitting," responded Sydney Thompson, city of Joliet director of media engagement.

The Joliet resident who sent Joliet Patch a number of photos along sections of Essington Road explained how, "the city dug up the waterline and took out that section of sidewalk back in March as I recall. As you can see, there are no signs that say sidewalk closed, no warning tape, no barricade. And you've run stories about people getting injured on city sidewalks and litigating about the city. It doesn't take that long with proper equipment to get compaction for a new section of sidewalk. Comes down to neglect," the resident wrote.

On a positive note, the same resident said, another section of unrepaired city sidewalk along Essington, left that way for an entire month by contractor PT Ferro, has finally been repaired.

The person said that the particular section of sidewalk near the Wild Birds Unlimited hobby shop business at 1149 Essington, closer to Ingalls Avenue, was left in a state of disrepair with no barricades, no warnings, nothing.

"But It Took A Month"

When asked if the broken sidewalk near the Wild Birds store remains in the continued state of disrepair this week, the Joliet resident replied, "No, it's been repaired, but it took about a month. If that can be repaired in a month, why can't the other one be repaired in two months? Just saying."

Here's a look back at some of the city lawsuits Joliet Patch has previously covered in 2026 and 2025:

Joliet Sued By Woman Injured On Broken City Of Joliet Sidewalk Near West Side Intersection

Joliet resident Gina Dyar has filed a lawsuit against the city of Joliet alleging negligence by the city resulted in her being injured when she tripped and fell to the ground while out walking on the west side. Dyar is being represented by attorney Bryan J. O'Connor of Whiteside & Goldberg, located in Chicago along North Michigan Avenue. The sidewalk in question is near the intersection of Springfield Avenue and Glenwood Avenue and on Feb. 28, 2023, the city of Joliet owned, controlled and maintained the sidewalk, which was open to the public, Dyar's lawsuit reads.

Negligence By City Of Joliet Prompts Lawsuit From Woman Out Walking Her Dog: Lawyer Seeks $50,000 Or More

The city of Joliet's broken roads and crumbling public sidewalks continue to result in more civil lawsuits being filed against Joliet this year. Rhonda Northrup filed her lawsuit against Joliet. She's represented by the Peru law firm of Schweickert Ganassin Krzak and Rundio.

Her lawsuit seeks a monetary judgment against Joliet in excess of $50,000. According to the filing, Joliet owned, operated, maintained or controlled the sidewalk near 1704 Taylor Street and the sidewalk was open to the public.

The lawsuit contends that the Taylor Street sidewalk "contained a raised portion that the public encountered while walking upon the sidewalk ... the sidewalk was in a dangerous condition because it existed in a broken, dilapidated condition that presented a tripping hazard."

Bicyclist Crashes Into Large Hole On Center Street, City Of Joliet Sued For Negligence, Over $50,000: Lawsuit

Jarell Doss has retained downtown Joliet attorney Susan Fransen to file a civil lawsuit against the city of Joliet in connection with his bicycle crash last August on the city's near west side. His Will County Courthouse lawsuit seeks a judgment in excess of $50,000 from Joliet, plus costs and prejudgment interest.

According to his lawsuit, the incident in question happened last Aug. 31 in the 1400 block of North Center Street near the intersection of Russell Street in Joliet.

Joliet Pays $100,000 To Pedestrian Hurt At Theodore Street Crosswalk

The city of Joliet agreed to pay Joliet pedestrian LaTanya Holbrook a total of $100,000 to settle the negligence lawsuit that she filed in 2024 against the city of Joliet, Joliet Patch has learned.

According to her civil complaint, Holbrook was walking along Theodore Street and West Hampton Drive, which is near Shorewood and Plainfield, and "on and prior to April 28, 2023, there existed a hole in the ground in the crosswalk, caused by or manifested under the direct supervision of City of Joliet."

According to lawyer Susan Fransen of downtown Joliet's law firm Briskman, Briskman and Greenburg, "While plaintiff was crossing the street, within the crosswalk area, her foot went into this hole, causing her to lose balance and fall."