INDIANAPOLIS -- Dangerous, uneven sidewalks are landing people in the hospital, and the city has a backlog of more than 1,600 requests all over Indianapolis.
Richard Rejer says his wife, Gloria, fell and broke her arm when she tripped over a protruding section of sidewalk near their home in the Champions Village Neighborhood near 86th Street and Hague Road.
Richard says the injury was more upsetting because he's called at least several times over the last two years trying to get the sidewalks near their home fixed.
About a year ago, the Department of Public works says they had a contractor come out and address the broken, uneven sidewalks in the area.
“The city attempted to repair them but the contractor – all he did was grind the sharp edges of the sidewalk and then put a concrete filler,” said Richard.
RTV6 has obtained the records for broken sidewalk requests to the Mayor’s Action Center. There are nearly 1,600 open cases right now, dating back to 2015.
We reached out to DPW to find out how they prioritize those fixes.
A DPW spokesperson says they look into each case and consider things like whether there’s a school nearby, if the sidewalk meets ADA requirements and whether it’s an area that pedestrians walk through on a regular basis.
DPW says they stick to three criteria:
- Technical assessment
- City-County Councilor Input
- Public Input
Richard says he has gotten help from his City-County Councilor, Mike McQuillen, in the past, but even he can't seem to get someone out there to fix the issue.
“In all fairness to him, it’s like blowing against the wind,” said Richard. “He’s trying to help us and he’s brought DPW out and they’ve looked around.”
If you have an issue with sidewalks in your area, you can request service through REQUEST INDY on the city’s website or by calling the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622.
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