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Pothole repair requests skyrocket; mayor launches patching blitz  

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — If you’re tired of driving over potholes, relief could be on the way.

City workers are on a pothole blitz. They’re taking advantage of the dry weather by filling hundreds of potholes over the next few days, Mayor Joe Hogsett said.

The number of open requests for pothole repairs is more than double what it was this time last year, according to city leaders. Hogsett said the rapidly changing weather is wreaking havoc on the city’s roads.

“There’s really only one thing I hate,” Hogsett said, “Potholes.”

The mayor said he’s assigning 20 Department of Public Works crews to pothole patrol from Tuesday to Thursday. Workers patched Tuesday near Keystone Avenue and Hanna Avenue, 56th Street and Arlington Avenue and 73rd Street and Ditch Road.

The plan is to lay 150 tons of cold patch to fill more than 600 potholes.

“Will that answer everyone’s call? Probably not,” Hogsett said. “But it will go a long way toward addressing the need.”

For some potholes, patching is a short-term answer. City leaders plan to resurface more than 70 lane-miles starting this spring.

“We don’t have unlimited resources and we are very serious about coming to terms with a supportable, long-term city budget,” Hogsett said.

The sound of power tools echoes through the garage at All Star Tire & Auto Service downtown.

Mechanics spent Tuesday repairing four cracked rims on a BMW. They said potholes caused the damage.

Shop manager Chris Cooper has some advice for city leaders.

“They need to fix as many [potholes] as possible,” Cooper said.

“I appreciate the business, but our customers aren’t the happiest campers around,” Cooper said.

It will take more than $400 to get the BMW back on the road. Mechanics said they’re fixing pothole damage every day.

There’s no shortage of customers and no shortage of frustration.

“How are you going to feel when you have to keep going to the shop once or twice a month for blowing out wheels?” Cooper said.The city’s posted an online map of pothole repair requests on its website.

Residents can report potholes through the map or by reaching out to the Mayor’s Action Center.

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