INDIANAPOLIS — The up-and-down temperatures help create potholes and they're popping up all over central Indiana.
"I had some terrible experiences myself," said Victoria Smith.
Smith is no stranger to Indianapolis' potholes — she spent $200 on new tires because of them.
"It's kind of scary when it happens in the pitch dark when you just hear a boom. I've had two tires blow out on me," she said. "The financial burden is overwhelming."
Smith has reported to the mayor's action line for reimbursement, which the city encourages, but she says she hasn't had any luck.
"I did everything I was supposed to a couple of times, even last spring, I had eyewitnesses. I still have not got reimbursed," she said.
The freeze-thaw cycle can make potholes bigger.
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works said fewer residents reported potholes this year and is asking for people to report them.
As of Thursday morning:
- DPW has received 6,468 pothole complaints, that's 871 fewer requests than it did for this same time frame in 2024
- DPW has resolved more than 2,200 pothole requests
- The department filled more than 40,000 potholes this year
- DPW has about 4,700 pothole requests outstanding
- The same crews that fill potholes were just in snow plows for 12-hour days from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20 as they monitored and treated roadways
- DPW has dropped more than 800 tons of mix so far this year in the fight against potholes
Smith hopes more drivers will be reimbursed this year.
"I put myself and my great-grandson in danger dodging these holes in the street where there's incoming traffic. I have to wait and go in the oncoming traffic [lane] to protect my family from the big gashes in the streets, and it's very, very unsafe," said Smith.
WATCH | Potholes Plague Indianapolis Roads: Here's How to Protect Your Vehicle
You can report a pothole in Indianapolis using the Request Indy website and mobile app, or you can call the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622.
