Indianapolis fills 22,000 potholes so far in 2022

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Department of Public works said Friday that its crews have filled 22,000 potholes since Jan. 1, but their work is far from over.

Neighbors living along Brendon Park Drive on the near north side say very little has been done to address the pothole issues along their street.

“Further down the street there, I noticed it had gotten so bad they did do work down there but it was just patchwork,” Estella Davis-Purnell said.

Public Works officials say crews are using cold asphalt to patch up potholes. Hot asphalt should be available next week. Ben Easley, the Public Works spokesman, said of hot asphalt, “That’s a more substantial material that makes for a more substantial patch.”

Davis-Purnell said poor street conditions directly affect her. A large slab of concrete is protruding from the sidewalk next to her home. “Someone walking at night and they didn’t see that, they could break their leg or anything, because it’s pretty deep.”

She’s alerted the city several times. She placed a cone on the sidewalk to alert drivers and pedestrians. “I am very concerned about this because I am a taxpayer.”

Public Works has delayed some of its efforts due to this week’s winter storm. “We had some really good sunny days this week, which were really helpful. I think, on Monday and Tuesday, we filled 2,000 potholes each of those days, which is pretty decent for us,” Easley said.

The city fixes potholes on major thoroughfares first before moving to secondary roads.

Anyone can report potholes to repair on city streets by going to the Indianapolis pothole viewer.