Indianapolis, IN
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.
“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
IndyGo serves 22,000 riders daily who rely on it for jobs and healthcare. The funding is voter-approved and separate from road budgets.
IndyGo paratransit services have possible 57% rate hike
Ryan Malone appreciates IndyGo paratransit rides. He has vision impairments and MS. He talks about the rides and the proposed 57% fare increase.
The April 14 letter titled, “Indianapolis doesn’t prioritize pothole repairs” raises a fair frustration shared by many drivers, but it misrepresents priorities, ignores dedicated funding streams, cherry-picks numbers and overlooks how IndyGo delivers broad, measurable value that helps roads and the city overall.
The 2026 Indianapolis city budget directs unprecedented funding to roads. The Department of Public Works’ most recent capital plan included $218 million for transportation infrastructure in 2026, in addition to key investments in additional snow removal and road maintenance equipment. DPW’s transportation capital funding has nearly tripled since 2016. Since that time, the city has resurfaced 1,279 lane miles and strip-patched 1,169 more.
The city is prioritizing basics; roads got a massive boost even with tighter revenues.
The state funding formula has disadvantaged Indianapolis by using two-lane road mileage and ignoring urban complexity. But House Enrolled Act 1461 shifts to a lane-mile formula and provides $50 million extra annually to Marion County — and state law restricts those funds to construction and reconstruction of local streets.
There are several points aimed at IndyGo that are worth correcting and adding important context the public should understand about this critical city service.
The claim that IndyGo’s $432 million budget “could go a long way toward streets” is the most misleading. The 0.25% income tax was voter-approved in 2016 — with nearly 60% voting yes — specifically and exclusively for public transit. These locally raised dollars leverage up to a 400% federal match, multiplying their impact several times over and ensuring Indianapolis captures funding that would otherwise go elsewhere. Diverting them would break a voter promise.
The “less than 2% uses the bus” stat is a classic distortion. IndyGo’s 2025 ridership included 6.7 million trips, or nearly 22,000 riders Monday through Friday. Transit serves disproportionately low-income, senior, disabled and car-free residents who rely on it for jobs, healthcare and school. It isn’t a luxury — it’s mobility infrastructure.
Public transit isn’t in competition with roads; it complements them. Every $1 invested in public transit generates $5 in broader economic activity. The Red Line alone delivered more than $7 per $1 invested, and IndyGo’s BRT network has already attracted more than $1.2 billion in corridor development.
By completion of the Blue Line, IndyGo will have paved more than 90 miles of Indy streets and built or repaired more than 1,300 ADA ramps. Nearly 7 million riders take cars off the road — fewer vehicles mean less congestion and less wear-and-tear on pavement, directly reducing potholes.
Potholes are real, but scapegoating IndyGo distracts from the actual balanced progress underway. Indianapolis is a world-class city with a great future, and the best is yet to come.
Richard Wilson is treasurer of the IndyGo Board of Directors.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Purdue University has received a $20 million commitment from the Ricks Family Foundation to establish the Purdue Institute for Healthcare Systems Innovation at the Indianapolis campus.
The institute in the Mitch Daniels School of Business aims to improve health care efficiency and effectiveness, the university said in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Christina Ricks and her husband, David A. Ricks, the chair and CEO of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., are the primary leaders of the foundation.
James “Jim” Bullard, a dean for the Daniels School of Business, said in the release, “Considering the health care situation in the U.S. today, there is a clear need for rigorous, market-informed research that challenges conventional thinking and drives new solutions. This institute will allow Purdue to lead that work and make a lasting difference.”
As Purdue works to develop its relatively new Indianapolis campus, the university recently announced that plans for a 12-story apartment building on recently acquired canal property in Indianapolis are now on hold as the university develops its campus, Mirror Indy reported.
This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.
INDIANAPOLIS — A woman was critically injured in a shooting on the northeast side of Indianapolis Tuesday night.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 5500 block of East 41st Street around 8:45 p.m. to investigate a shooting. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult female with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
Per IMPD, the victim was transported from the the scene to a local hospital in critical condition. Police reported that hospital staff later provided them with an update that indicated the victim remains in critical condition.
Investigators believe the shooting occurred inside a residence on 41st Street. One shell casing was found in the front yard of that residence near its driveway. Police do not believe that stray shell casing is related to the shooting in any way.
Law enforcement detained a person of interest during its investigation of the shooting. IMPD has not yet provided any of the detainee’s identifying information like sex, age or name.
Police do not believe the shooting poses any ongoing threat to the public. Investigators are, however, still encouraging area residents to call IMPD at (317) 327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477 to pass along any information they may have on the shooting.
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