Last Updated 4 days by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — One resident in an east side neighborhood of Indianapolis has been calling attention to what she describes as the worst potholes she has seen in years.
She thinks city officials have forgotten the area.
Cheryl Humes-Kennedy said Wednesday, “I have almost been sideswiped three times because of trying to miss the potholes, and there is traffic on the other side. They are also trying to miss the potholes as well. So, we are all trying to miss potholes simultaneously.”
Humes-Kennedy has lived at the corner of Franklin Road and East 30th Street for over two decades. She describes the potholes as catastrophic. “One of my friends won’t come out to see me anymore because the potholes are so bad over here that he doesn’t want to tear up his car. I can’t blame him on that. I volunteer at one of the food pantries, and the volunteers and I have talked about the potholes over here. They brush it off because you know it’s the east side, and nobody cares about us.”
She says neighbors complain that their vehicles have been damaged due to the road conditions, and some have even had flat tires. She says many motorists use alternate routes, which impacts their daily commutes.
Humes-Kennedy says she and her neighbors have filed reports with the Mayor’s Action Center for months, but their pleas for help have gone unanswered. “We are just average people. Many of us here are retired, on a fixed income, or within a one-income family. We can’t afford to get tires every time we turn around. We can’t afford to get our car aligned either every time we turn around, but that’s what we’re going through.”
She describes the east side as consistently challenging to navigate due to ongoing road patching that doesn’t last long. She and her neighbors are hoping for a more permanent solution. “I just want our roads to be just as good as any other side of town.”
News 8 reached out to the Indianapolis Department of Public Works for a response, and it shared a statement.
“Indy DPW is aware of and is working hard to address potholes reports this season. Earlier this week, our dedicated members of AFSCME Local #725 engaged in two 10-hour shifts filling potholes across the county. Crews will continue to take advantage of these warmer, drier weather conditions to address open reports. Indy DPW is balancing traffic volume, request age and request proximity to keep crews efficient in filling potholes.
“This year, Indy DPW lost several weeks of potential pothole-filling days due to the snow, rainy weather, and extremely low temperatures, all of which have contributed to the backlog of requests. For the vast majority of 2025, crews had access to cold mix asphalt for pothole patching. Hot mix was briefly available for 2.5 work days in late January when one hot mix plant unexpectedly opened for a brief window. Following that late January window, hot mix became available again last Tuesday (March 4).
“We ask for residents’ continued patience and assistance by reporting potholes to the Mayor’s Action Center by calling 317-327-4622, submitting a report online at request.indy.gov, or submitting a report using the RequestIndy mobile app.”
Indianapolis Department of Public Works