Gary begins program to clean up potholes

Gary officials will be working in two phases during the spring and summer to patch potholes.

The city’s Public Works Department said it began work on resurfacing and paving of city streets April 3, with paving beginning on Clark Road from 15th Avenue to Ridge Road.

That was the beginning of the project’s first phase, which includes doing work on 15th Avenue from Broadway to Martin Luther King Jr., Drive, along with Harrison Street from Ridge Road to 53rd Avenue, 45th Avenue from Harrison to Grant streets, Georgia Street from 39th to 49th avenues, and Texas Street north of 15th Avenue.

This phase of the project isn’t expected to be completed until the end of the month, according to a release.

A second phase is scheduled to begin in May.

Among streets to be paved include a portion of Locust Street behind Shelby Street. Forest Avenue from Harold Avenue to Shelby Street also will be worked on.

Other streets to be worked on in this phase include 2nd Avenue from Taft to Harrison streets, Harrison Street from 2nd to 19th avenues, Taft Street from 7th to 10th avenues, 15th Avenue from Clay Street to King Drive; Miller Avenue from Aetna to Lake streets, 6th Avenue from Illinois to Grant streets, and Madison Street from 19th to 21st avenues.

There also will be extra streets that will be paved beginning May 6. A Community Crossings Grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation will cover half of the cost, although the city will be expected to provide a financial match for the work to be done.

Streets in that phase include Ridge Road from Harrison to Mississippi streets, 7th Avenue from Broadway to Mississippi Street, Grant Street from Ridge Road to 47th Avenue, 6th Avenue from Broadway to Mississippi Street, 25th Avenue from Cline Avenue to Clark Road, and 23rd Avenue from Chase to Grant streets.

City officials say they’re interested in adding to the list of pothole-laden streets to be repaired. Gary residents are asked to submit requests for streets to be patched through the city’s 3-1-1 system at 219-881-1311.

But officials say they hope to get even more work completed during the 2019 calendar year as part of a City-Wide Cleanup program.

Public Works crews will be sent to neighborhoods across Gary to clean up debris as part of a blight-elimination effort.

Teams from the city’s General Services, Green Urbanism, Recycling, Demolition, Board-up, Code Enforcement and Traffic, along with the Gary Sanitary District and Parks Department, will work with the Public Works crews, with the cleanup efforts expected to run through Oct. 31.