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Indianapolis public works on overtime shifts as crews patch potholes across city

Residents say still long way to go to address problem

The pothole problem in the city of Indianapolis is getting some major attention this week.

By: Adam Schumes

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INDIANAPOLIS — The pothole problem in the city of Indianapolis is getting some major attention this week.

All week long, crews with the Indianapolis Department of Public Works are working overtime as the city spends more than $4 million to address some of the problem areas.

“We are out for 10-hour days each day this week. That is approved overtime from the mayor of Indianapolis to get potholes even further behind us,” said Ben Easley, the chief communications officer for Indianapolis DPW.

“Pothole filling for us is a year-round operation that we do. So in terms of timeline, this is the time of year that is especially obvious to folks that we are we are out here doing pothole filling, but we will continue to do pothole filling throughout the rest of the spring, the summer the fall, even into the winter as dry conditions allow us to,” Easley said.

Crews are using hot-mix asphalt to fill the holes. The new mix allows crews to do strip-patching, which is when the top layer of asphalt is removed and replaced.

Despite the ongoing work, drivers WRTV spoke still say more work needs to be done.

“I feel like I have to swerve through potholes every minute of every day,” said Indianapolis resident Christopher Nguyen.

“It feels like they do something and then the next year the same thing is happening again. So I think they need two fix it for the long run and not just patch up holes. They have (to) remedy the problem,” Nguyen said.