Note: This story has been edited to reflect that 6,100 of the 84,760 potholes filled this year by DPW were reported to the agency by citizens.
Potholes are no laughing matter — most of the time. After photographer Chris Bucher noticed cars hitting potholes while he was walking his dog through downtown’s Holy Cross neighborhood in 2018, he began highlighting just how deep of an issue potholes can be in Indianapolis.
He set up fantastical scenes around actual potholes, using plastic dinosaurs and toy cars borrowed from his nephews, and photographed them in black and white. They were a hit with Bucher’s Instagram followers.
After a six-year break, Bucher’s pothole project is back. His followers have delighted in seeing a toy shark wading in a depression in a near northside neighborhood and Batman standing guard in the middle of a crater-sized divot in a Downtown road.
“It’s fun to hear people excited to see them again,” he said.
As pothole season lingers, others in Indianapolis have tried to see the humor as well. Two local restaurants, Big Lug Canteen and Half Litre, turned the city’s potholes into a marketing campaign, offering a free serving of poutine or pretzel to customers who came in with car repair receipts from February 6-12.
Though he declined to say how many people cashed in the offer, Vice President of Business Operations Eddie Sahm said the week-long promotion was a “small piece of fun in an otherwise crappy situation.”
How to report a pothole in Indianapolis
This time around, Bucher has been putting his art to good use. He uses the Indianapolis Department of Public Works’ (DPW) pothole viewer to determine where he’ll take his next photo. This portal maps out all the potholes which have been reported to the city. In his Feb. 2 portrait of a shark floating near Fall Creek, Bucher tagged Indianapolis DPW. The pothole was filled in the next day, he said.
However, at the time of this mid-February interview, Bucher said several potholes around Fall Creek, all of which about 8 inches wide, had not yet been touched.
Since Jan. 1 of this year, DPW has filled 84,760 potholes — and roughly half of the 6,100 service requests received this year, said Corey Ohlenkamp, public information officer for Indianapolis DPW.
Roughly 2,318 reported potholes are still waiting to be filled.
Ohlenkamp said those who report a pothole on a city street should expect it to be filled in, on average, three days following their report.
If, unlike Bucher, you don’t have the time or talent to spotlight potholes through cinematic photography, then you have three options to report a pothole to the city. You still have the option to include a photo, though, and need to be prepared with this information:
- A street address–an address nearest to the pothole.
- The date the pothole first appeared, or the date you noticed it
- The depth and width of the pothole, and whether it has caused property damage.
- Your name, email address and phone number, in case additional information is required.
Once you have that information, which the city uses to prioritize requests, you can submit it one of three ways:
- Call the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 and speak to a customer service representative. (Information is available in English and Spanish.) This service is available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Visit DPW’s online portal.
Click “Request,” then “Streets, Alleys, Sidewalks,” then “Streets and Alley Repair.” From there, you will be asked to enter the street address. Under the “details” dropdown menu, select “chuckhole.” A short questionnaire will appear.
- Use the Request Indy mobile app, available for Apple and Android. The reporting process on the app is the same as the web version.
Ohlenkamp suggests residents use the mobile app because it’s easier to attach images. Requests are prioritized based on the size and depth of the potholes, as well as the location’s typical traffic volume. This typically means that potholes in busy thoroughfares will be addressed before potholes in neighborhood roads.
Driving through Indianapolis, it’s not uncommon to see large potholes marked by a traffic cone – often placed by a business owner or a neighborhood resident – to warn drivers of the road hazard. While it can be tempting to take matters into your own hands, DPW advocates waiting for the professionals.
“We don’t recommend doing anything on your own, or getting creative with certain methods,” Ohlenkamp said. “When crews show up, they have to address the pothole and then whatever went in there.”
What to do when your car is damaged by a pothole
As the city works to address road conditions, hitting a pothole can cause serious damage to both your car and put a dent in your wallet.
“We have people coming in every day because of potholes,” said Lanny Buntain, an employee at American Eagle Tires on the city’s west side. “More of them are coming in because of potholes than we’ve had the past couple years.”
From a blown tire to a cracked rim, Buntain said the necessary repairs can cost anywhere from $45 to over $545.
It was a trip to a local tire shop that inspired Bucher to turn potholes into makeshift photography studios again. While having his winter tires switched for his summer tires, Bucher was told all four of his wheels were bent.
“(The person) asked me what I had been doing, and I just told him, ‘I drive in Indianapolis,’” Bucher said.
Bucher took the creative route. Less artistically inclined drivers whose cars need repaired after hitting a pothole can file a tort claim for possible reimbursement from the city. In order to qualify for a reimbursement, a claim must be filed within 180 days of hitting a pothole. Further, the pothole must have been previously reported to the city in order to be reimbursed for car repairs.
To file a claim, you can call the Mayor’s Action Line at (317) 327-4622, or use the Mayor’s Action Center app or website. If your claim is approved, a representative from the Office of Corporation Counsel will reach out to you within 90 days. If you have any questions about filing your claim, it’s important to reach out to an attorney: The Office of Corporation Counsel cannot provide you with legal advice.
While the city prepared for roughly 125,000 tourists during NBA All Star weekend, Ohlenkamp said DPW continued its efforts to fill potholes throughout the entire city, not just in the epicenter of All Star activities.
“I look at this as a ‘yes/and’ situation,” Ohlenkamp said. “We’ve had crews out addressing potholes since around the 25th of January. Where I say it’s a ‘yes/and,’ is that we’re always trying to make sure downtown is ready to go.
“Indianapolis is an event city, and we want to help make it a first-class event city. But, that doesn’t mean we’re only focused on downtown. We have crews from county line to county line.”
Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Contact her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org.