Why these Indianapolis road projects are stirring questions about fairness

INDIANAPOLIS — Do you know where your taxpayer dollars are going?

That’s a question raised by some residents lately as several road and park projects begin across Indianapolis.

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Why these Indianapolis road projects are stirring questions about fairness

Last year, each City-County Councilor was given $1 million in the 2025 budget to be used for a park or road project of their choice. Most of those councilors chose a road project, but now people are wondering why certain roads were chosen.

“I’m trying to do it in the most fair way possible,” Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, who represents District 20, said. “I ultimately determined, you know, if I told folks that I was gonna put the money into parks and not roads, they wouldn’t be happy with that decision.”

Hart chose to resurface roads in the Forest Creek neighborhood, but part of that project will include a section of road that borders his home.

“There’s a constant improvement that goes along,” Hart said. “But there were just a lot of variables involved in this one particular case.”

We asked Hart his response to people wondering why he chose those roadways.

“I used data to pick the location, so there are multiple things that I looked at,” Hart told WRTV. “Here’s the PCI rating, here’s how old the road is, here’s where the projects already are… and then this is the place that makes the most logical sense.”

“I know that there are a number of communities around District 6 that need some repairs… but that was my priority,” Councilor Dr. Carlos W. Perkins, who represents District 6, stated.

Dr. Perkins is spending his portion on the Quail Ridge neighborhood.

“In walking through that community, I noticed, through my own observation, that the roads were in terrible condition,” he explained.

That neighborhood also sits directly across the street from Bethel Cathedral AME Church, where Pekins serves as pastor.

We asked Perkins the same question: What do you say to residents who want that funding to go to their streets first?

“They have advocated, they have been in touch with me, it’s been a communication through the last two years,” Perkins said. “And I believe that they deserve this investment.”

We reached out to Councilor Jared Evans to ask about his project in the Avon Creeks Estates neighborhood. Like Hart, his home happens to be on one of the streets set to be resurfaced.

We also sent an email to Councilor Brian Mowery with questions about his project, which will resurface a roughly half-mile stretch of Sunset Ridge Parkway, between Five Points Road and Moonstruck Parkway.

While not directly in front of his home, it does include resurfacing the road that serves as the entrance to his Franklin Township neighborhood.

Neither Evans nor Mowery responded at the time this story was published.

Construction on the projects is expected to begin as early as next month, with completion expected by summer 2026.

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Casey Zanowic is the In Your Community reporter for North Side Indy. She joined WRTV in July of 2025. Casey has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.