City-County Council approves $14.5 million for emergency road repairs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Driving in Indianapolis could soon get a little smoother after a unanimous vote from the City-County Council on Monday night to approve a proposal for $14.5 million to repair the city’s roads, including damage like potholes.
On March 1, the council’s Public Works Committee sent the proposal to full committee vote.
The funds will go toward workers (including contractors), supplies and equipment, including those used for this year’s second “pothole blitz,” which began two weeks ago.
Of the $14.5 million, $13 million will come from the City Rainy Day Fund and go to the General Transportation Fund, while the other $1.45 million would move from the Rebuild Indy Fund, from projects that are under budget, to the Capital Asset Development Fund.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett released the following statement on Monday night:
Indianapolis works best when it works together, and tonight’s unanimous City-County Council road funding vote was yet another example of the progress that can be made when elected leaders put people before politics. With this bipartisan vote, residents will continue to see progress as we work to repair our roadways. And thanks to responsible fiscal planning over the last two years, all of this will be possible without postponing planned 2018 infrastructure projects.
I want to thank President Vop Osili and all of the City-County Councillors for their prompt action – and their partnership — on this critical infrastructure project.”
Dan Parker, the director of the Department of Public Works, said 52,000 potholes have been filled since Feb. 26 and more than 24 miles of streets have been strip-patched. There are still 7,500 outstanding pothole reports.
The funds approved on Monday will be used to tackle those. The money will be used on top of the $88 million already dedicated to roads this year.
This amount still doesn’t come close to the amount of money needed to make city roads what Hogsett calls “adequate.”
Hogsett has said that process could take years and cost more than a billion dollars.
But city officials say the extra money approved by the council is a step in the right direction and one DPW says will help your commute.
Work will be focused on the main thoroughfares and will then move to secondary and residential streets.