INDIANAPOLIS — Roadwork continues for contractors plowing Indy’s residential streets, but for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) crews, it’s time for a break.
“They have really been the ones who have been dedicated this entire week,” details Indy DPW Spokesperson Ben Easley.
“I truly think that they are the rock stars in all of this,” adds Mallory Duncam with INDOT.
Some crew members had the day off Friday, before potentially heading back to work this weekend. INDOT had more than 320 drivers working this week, and they accumulated an estimated 12,000 hours on the road.
It’s been six to seven years since DPW was forced to hire additional contractors to clear Indy’s streets. The road clearing in four of those townships are now complete, and those are Pike, Washington, Decatur, and Franklin. As of 3 pm on Friday, five more remain works in progress in Lawrence, Wayne, Center, Warren, and Perry. DPW expects those areas to be completed by Friday night or Saturday morning.
All of that work put a dent in salt supplies, but both INDOT and DPW expect replenishments in the coming days.
“Across central Indiana we used more than 7,000 tons of salt,” explains Duncan.
“At one point we were at 30% capacity, and that’s internal to DPW,” says Easley.
INDOT plans for their crews to transition to pothole patrol. With warmer temperatures expected, the department calls it the perfect recipe for those pesky types of problems. So far, pothole numbers have been down for this year and last.