Call Rafael: Wicker Road disrepair causes accident, power outage

INDIANAPOLIS -- Wicker Road has no place in a city that promotes itself as a global destination. The potholes are crater-sized — the road is uneven and overall, the people in this neighborhood of different opinions can agree on this statement: “It’s a mess. It’s an absolute mess,” said Kaye Parman. She added, “We pay almost $6,000 a year in property taxes. We need to get what we paid for.” Parman and Drusilla Joslyn invited FOX59/CBS4's Rafael Sanchez to their once-paved road with other homeowners, embarrassed by the primary way in and out of their neighborhood. They say road conditions have worsened, especially with the number of trucks picking up their load from Riverside Aggregates and Materials. “It used to be a paved road. Kids rode their bikes up and down. Now it’s terrible,” said longtime resident Drusilla Joslyn. In recent weeks, a vehicle hit a pothole and ended up in someone’s front yard. A trash truck also hit a pothole and slammed into a utility pole, knocking out electricity to the neighborhood. “I have family members who won’t come here anymore. They don’t want to drive their new vehicles. We can’t fight anymore and the city just don’t care, ” stated Parman. People have filed multiple complaints with the Mayor’s Action Center about the road conditions and are fed up. “We want the road fixed — so we have a safe environment driving up and down the road, “said Joslyn. The Department of Public Works with the city of Indianapolis told FOX59/CBS4 that there are no immediate plans to fix Wicker Road. In a statement, a spokesperson wrote: “While a large stretch of this roadway between Tibbs Avenue and Bluffdale Drive was repaved in 2023, further improvements to Wicker Road would have to be scheduled for future work. “Indy DPW is making improvements all across Marion County as part of a five-year, $1.2 billion capital plan that is expecting a $100 million boost in 2027 thanks to Mayor Hogsett's work with the statehouse to bring additional road funding to Indianapolis.” The owner of Riverside Aggregates and Materials is Matt Thomspon. Thompson said Indy DPW laid rocks in the road in October of 2024 as a temporary fix with plans of returning in the future. “If the trucks were to blame for the damage on Wicker, then the entire road leading up to I-69 would be crumbling, which is not the case," said Thompson. "The city has failed to maintain Wicker Road for years.” FOX59/CBS4's Rafael Sanchez checked Wicker Road beyond the neighborhood, which trucks also travel on, and it’s in good drivable conditions. Thompson said he could help with a temporary fix, but he's been told by a city inspector that he would be fined if he put any materials on the road. Sanchez asked DPW if it can force any business in Indianapolis to make road repairs if its activity contributes to infrastructure damage. DPW said, “ The city does not have the ability to force a private business to restore public right-of-way that has been damaged through standard use.” Thompson says a property taxpayer he’d like to see road repairs since current conditions have led to the loss of several vendors who will not drive down Wicker Road.