Fixing the Fractured Road: Residents and Motorcyclists Call for Action on Crumbling West 82nd Street

Residents near West 82nd Street under the 65 underpass in Pike Township are calling for urgent repairs to a dangerous road as city crews tackle broader street improvements. The road has been plagued by a large pothole that is "more than a pothole because the whole lane is crumbling," said longtime resident Muriel Mikelsons.

"It's probably six or eight inches deep, all the way across the lane and you have to go around it and into oncoming traffic," she added. Muriel first reported the issue nearly two months ago, and a friend of hers has contacted the city weekly for six weeks.

While the city has placed cones to warn drivers, they often get knocked over or crushed. "I've gotten up and put the cones back myself," Muriel said.

Muriel is particularly concerned about the safety of drivers and motorcyclists. Her brother, Gene Moebius, a motorcycle enthusiast for over 45 years, echoed her concerns: "If a motorcyclist doesn’t know it’s there, they could easily go flying off. You hit that on a bike, you fall but who knows what happens once you hit the pavement?"

Gene also expressed disbelief that such a severe street hazard could remain untouched for so long, saying, "You’re going to lose a battle with a car on a bike and you have to swerve into the other lane to avoid it."

Muriel and her neighbors are calling for more than just quick patch jobs. They want the city to take their concerns seriously and act on them.

The Department of Public Works has emphasized its ongoing commitment to improving street conditions, stating: "As construction season progresses, Indy DPW is committed to bringing enhanced pavement quality to Indy's streets. Since last week, AFSCME Local #725 pothole crews have frequently been putting in ten-hour work days as they take advantage of the warm spring weather. Happening in tandem with that work, contractors are rehabbing pavement across the county as part of Mayor Joe Hogsett's five-year, $1 billion capital infrastructure plan. So far this year, contractors conducting strip-patching have replaced some of the roughest sections of Indy's thoroughfares with nearly 31,000 tons of new asphalt."