Solving the Pothole Problem - by Mayor Bart Peterson

.....
click here to return to April index

The opinions expressed in these articles and features are those of their author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of McANA or the opinion of its Directors or Officers.

Solving the Pothole Problem
by Mayor Bart Peterson
this is a monthly message from the Mayor to Indianapolis' Neighborhoods

We all know that jarring feeling when a vehicle strikes a pothole, not to mention the potential for flat tires and hazardous road conditions these unsightly and unsafe disruptions can cause. This month, I’d like to talk to you about the City’s accelerated plan to fix the many potholes that currently litter our streets.

The winter of 2002-2003 was tough for our city to weather. Snow storms, ice, and repeated freezing and thawing took a toll not just on the people of Indianapolis, but on the streets that link us to our homes, schools and places of business. Immediately after our snowfighters from the Department of Public Works finished clearing the last of the snow, they went to work, filling potholes as quickly and effectively as possible.

Through a plan developed by my office and DPW, we have launched an accelerated attack on potholes. It addresses and logs each of the hundreds of pothole complaints the City receives daily. At the same time, it puts more staff on the streets to make critical repairs. We’ve doubled the number of repair crews to tackle potholes, increasing their hours and asking them to work Saturdays. We’ve also created crews to respond to complaints. And, we’ve called on private contractors to work in each township to locate and repair the most serious potholes on secondary and residential streets.

I’m pleased to report that our City team is working very hard to solve the pothole problem. Since kicking off our accelerated attack in mid-March, we have filled approximately 2,400 pothole complaints, which generally encompasses several potholes. This has required 1,474 tons of asphalt and 9,021.75 hours by our DPW crews, who I applaud for their commitment to improve the safety of our city’s streets.

There still are some pesky potholes lurking in our neighborhoods so please call 327-HOLE or go to www.indygov.org to alert us to their location. And, when the crew arrives to fix it, please thank them!