Potholes plague drivers on East 86th Street; leaders look for solutions

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hot mix will soon be available to fill potholes on some Indianapolis roads in the worst shape, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works says.

Some businesses and leaders on East 86th Street are hopeful for a long-lasting solution to the pervasive potholes that line the road.

“I grew up around here and I don’t think this road has ever been very good, but the last couple of years, it’s getting worse and worse,” said Andrew Znachko, head pastor at Antioch Community Church.

The church is located on East 86th Street, near the Castleton Square Mall and several other businesses.

Znachko, along with the other business owners, say drivers are dodging massive potholes as they make their way to the parking lot. Public Works says its team has been to that stretch four times this year to fill potholes.

“There’s disabled vehicles at times pulling into our parking lot with flat tires, broken tie rods,” Znachko said.

As a pastor, he says, his focus is making sure the community can thrive.

The craters in question form when water seeps through cracks in the road and freezes, making the road surface rise. As temperatures rise, the ice thaws and leaves an open area underneath that eventually collapses.

“They will fill the potholes and then the next time they plow the street, when the snow comes, it just rips it out and makes everything worse,” Znachko said.

The same Public Works crew that plows the roads also fills potholes.

The rough roads are something the area’s City-County councilor, Nick Roberts, has long been focused on fixing. “From Day 1 when I was elected, my No. 1 priority was roads. When I door-knocked in my campaign, that was by far the issue I heard most about. At the time, the most-talked-about road was Masters Road in Castleton, which we got fixed. That was the first thing I did as councilor.”

But, when it comes to 86th Street, he’s hit some roadblocks.

“The big structural problem we have in Indianapolis is the way that Indiana funds our roads in the first place,” Roberts said.

In short, funding for Indy roads and the help they need is currently measured by the length, not by the amount of traffic they see. This means a rural road in Boone County could get the same amount of funding that 86th Street does.

“As a city, we have to strategically use our money, and we have a lot less,” Roberts said. “But, to me, the road clearly needs to be worked on. I don’t care how much money we have, we need to work on it. Thankfully there is work at the Statehouse to get that.”

House Bill 1461, approved last week, could help bring an extra $50 million to the city for road funding, if Indianapolis matches the funding with that same amount.

While that legislation makes its way through the Indiana Senate, Roberts says, it’s important for drivers to continue reporting any issues they face through the Mayor’s Action Center.

“How can we all help each other out and get this thing done,” Znachko said.

Statement

“Following a rough winter featuring harsh freeze/thaw cycles, Indy DPW AFSCME Local #725 crews are turning focus to our city’s potholes. The same crew members who just put in 21,000 hours of labor during the most recent nine-day long snowfight are the same crews tasked with filling potholes across the county. So far this year, 20 days of potential pothole filling have been lost due to winter weather.

“However, we anticipate gaining access to hot mix asphalt in the coming weeks. This will allow crews to fill potholes with a longer-lasting solution than the cold mix asphalt that is generally used when temperatures are below freezing and hot mix plants are closed for the season.

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“Additionally, contracted strip-patching crews will also soon be active – another tool for getting our roads into better condition.”

Indianapolis Department of Public Works on Feb. 26, 2025