Wet week of Indy potholes ahead
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Several Indianapolis drivers had a tough commute Tuesday, as a monster pothole on Interstate 465 East at Michigan Road opened up, flattening their tires.
Indiana Department of Transportation crews were there within the hour to put a temporary cold mix patch on the road while drivers called for tow trucks or made tire repairs on the side of the road.
Chris Myers, communications director for INDOT, says their crews promise to respond to an emergency pothole call on a state road, interstate, or INDOT-maintained highway within an hour.
“With a year like this, it’s a unique circumstance so when our maintenance guys are out there, they are trying to fix as many holes in quality fashion as possible,” said Myers.
Myers says INDOT’s number one priority is safety, and they believe implementing long-term repairs to Indiana highways will benefit drivers the most.
“We try to focus on quality over quantity throughout INDOT, and that’s why we focus long term on preservation techniques. Really the long term answer is construction,” said Myers.
But when the forecast calls for rain all week following a snowstorm and swing in temperatures, Myers knows holes will open up and his crews are ready with cold mix.
“People ask, ‘Why are you using cold mix then, what the point of it, why not just wait and use the hot mix?’ Once again it comes back to safety we want to make sure those on the roadway are as safe as possible,” he explained.
Robbie Hudelson is the office manager at Sincere Auto Care at Shadeland Avenue and Washington Street and said he’s certainly seen an increase in pothole repairs.
“There are quite a few vehicles that come in and you think ‘wow, that was a pothole? It looks more like an accident!’” Hudelson said.
Hudelson says it’s tough to see and hear about so much damage on his clients’ cars.
“People are very upset about it. Just seems like you can’t escape them,” he said. “Some of these potholes are eight to ten inches deep. And in a car that doesn’t have a whole lot of suspension to it, soon as you hit one of those potholes, you’re bottoming out everything underneath and sometimes you can hear your exhaust scraping as you go down the road.”
He recommends anticipating the big bumps and getting your suspension checked ahead of time.
“As long you’re getting regular suspension checks, and make sure that you don’t have any worn components, that’s one of the things that will help prevent some of the damage on your vehicle,” he said.
The number to call when you see a damaging pothole on interstates or state roads is 855-INDOT4U (463-6848). You can also visit INDOT’s website to report.
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works also takes pothole complaints for city roads at its website. DPW representatives declined to comment on the city’s potholes Tuesday.