Political leaders concerned by amount of potholes in Indy

By: Kayla Molander

INDIANAPOLIS — Its Spring in Indiana, so potholes are to be expected. But this year, Hoosiers seem a little extra annoyed.

City-County Councilor Jared Evans posted on Facebook Friday morning saying he has received multiple complaints just in the last two days about potholes on Morris Street by the airport.

John Story works in Evans' district and appreciates the councilor's efforts.

"I drive here every day, and if you come right out here, and we got potholes a car could fall in," Story said.

Even tourists are starting to notice.

Bob Finchum grew up in Indy, but now lives in California. He and his wife, Theresa Finchum, are in town visiting family. They're worried about hitting a pothole and ruining their rental car.

"We're visiting from California, leaving on Sunday," Theresa Finchum said. "I love Indianapolis, it's really beautiful, as they say, 'God's country.' But I noticed that there's a lot of potholes. More than California. I was in shock to see all the potholes."

"Not only does it mess up your tire, your front end, but it can cause an accident also and lose control of your vehicle and hit someone else. It would be devastating," Bob Finchum said.

The Indianapolis Department of Public Works is responsible for maintaining the roads. Right now, the department is short-staffed with nearly 100 open positions.

A DPW spokesperson provided WRTV with the following statement:

Each day, pothole-filling crews are given a starting location to begin work, and then they address all potholes along a given road segment. In the beginning of the season, crews focused on major thoroughfares which carry emergency vehicles and the largest volumes of traffic across the city. As we just recently shifted to the mid- season, the strategy includes more secondary streets and residential streets (which traditionally see less traffic and slower speeds). Crews continue to work on thoroughfares, but are also addressing reported potholes on local roads nearby. This demonstrates the direct connection between the reported locations of potholes and the workplan for the crew.

As many know, DPW is understaffed at the moment. We are working to fill nearly 100 open positions. In response to the shortage of workers, we are making sure critical services are covered. We urge residents to have patience with our workers as they continue to work diligently to make our city streets drivable.

As we are in need of many CDL licensed drivers, we also invite any qualified residents to apply for our open positions by visiting joindpw.indy.gov

Imani Keith, Spokesperson, Department of Public Works, Indianapolis