Potholes are being filled by Indianapolis DPW staff following the weekend’s snowmelt

Indianapolis, Indiana – The season has been particularly difficult for Indianapolis drivers.

The greatest amount of snowfall of the season arrived in central Indiana on Friday when the heavens opened up. But the outside temperature soon warmed up, and the highways began to open as well.

Certain Indianapolis neighborhoods are trickier to find your way around than others.

“Driving down to south Broad Ripple, we’re at 54th and Monon here, just like the entire way, so many potholes,” business owner Melissa Tolar explained.

Owner of Prairie General in Broad Ripple, Melissa Tolar, compared her quick commute to riding a rollercoaster.

“There’s a crazy route to get through,” Tolar added. “You just have to drive really slow. It’s kind of scary sometimes.”

Crews from Indianapolis Public Works had been putting in 10-hour days before the weekend whiteout patching potholes with hot mix asphalt.

“When I say we’ve really been in a blitz using that material while we’ve got the weather, while we’ve got the access to that material, we’ve really been utilizing that,” DPW Public Information Officer Corey Ohlenkamp said.

Approximately 2,500 potholes need to be repaired after personnel redirected their attention to shoveling snow off the roads. Since January 1, the city has filled almost 85,000 seats, according to Ohlenkamp.

“It’s a very labor-intensive process, it’s very hard work,” he explained. “Friday we said, ‘Hey guys, we got to get you back in – we switched to AB shifts,’ which were very long rotations for them on snow coverage, and then obviously coming back into Tuesday, saying ‘Hey, here’s a shovel, here’s a tamper, let’s get right back at it.’”

According to Kyleigh Cramer, the public relations director for the East Central District of the Indiana Department of Transportation, their staff is diligently tending to the craters that are emerging on the local interstates.

“Usually we see it around the places that get a lot of traffic, and a lot of heavy traffic as well so 465, I-69, as well as 31 and I-70. Those are our big hotspots,” Cramer said.

This season, INDOT is urging residents of Indiana to keep their eyes out for potholes and drive without distractions.

The Mayor’s Action Center is the place to report a pothole in the city of Indianapolis. You can get in touch with INDOT at indot4u.com or 855-INDOT4U to report one on a state highway or road.