Sinkhole off Southeastern Avenue & South Keystone Avenue blocked by DPW
A video on Facebook showed a huge hole in the ground at Southeastern Avenue and South Keystone Avenue as men examined it with flashlights. It was time-stamped for Monday just after midnight. Nearly 12 hours later, the area is marked off by Indianapolis Department of Public Works signs and no one can turn on the street near the hole.
Indy Department of Public Works could not be reached for comment by the time of this article's publication.
Potholes are created when water seeps beneath the pavement through cracks, according to Indianapolis' website. As the temperature drops, the water freezes and expands, causing the pavement to rise. As the ice melts, it creates an empty cavity beneath the pavement, so when a vehicle passes over one, it collapses and creates a pothole.
Sinkholes are depressions on the surface of the land caused by water moving downward into cracks and passages in the limestone. Open sinkholes are sensitive to disturbance and can be difficult to remedy once they begin to grow and become unstable.
Sinkholes in street asphalt are depressions or holes that appear in the pavement, often due to erosion or callapse of the underlying soil, rather than just wear and tear like potholes.
Report a pothole through the Mayor's Action Center online through RequestIndy or by calling 317-327-4622.
The Mayor's Action Center is open daily for calls Monday to Friday. The call center hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., however, on Thursday they are closed from 2 to 3 p.m.
RequestIndy is accessible on the city's website and via the mobile app 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Be sure to be specific in your report about how many are in the reported area, where they are located and what size they are (the options are small, medium or larger than a basketball). It will also ask if they caused any property damage.
You can also call the non-emergency line at (317) 327-3811.
That all depends on the weather and how they decide to repair them. There are only two ways to repair them: With hot mix or cold asphalt patches.
Hot mix is the preferred method of repair, however, it's only used during warm months because asphalt factories are closed during the colder months. Cold asphalt patches are the alternative method when the weather is too cold for hot mix, but they are not as permanent of a fix as hot mix.
It may take up to a week and a half before potholes are filled. Crews are often unable to repair potholes when it is raining, snowing or during cold weather.
On busier roads with multiple potholes and weather damage, they might even decide to just resurface the road.
The Department of Public Works is in charge of assessing what roads need to be repaved, but they do accept public input and that can also be submitted via the Mayor's Action Center.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. IndyStar Trending News Report and Midwest Connect reporter, Katie Wiseman contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis DPW blocks area of apparent sinkhole on city street
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