This is how to report a pothole to the city of Indianapolis

Now that we've seemingly gotten through the worst that winter has to offer, you may be noticing more potholes forming on Indy's roads. It's not your imagination.

More and more potholes are being reported as the harsh part of winter continues to dwindle down, according to city data. That's typical for this time of year. Potholes form when water seeps into the road pavement, and when the water freezes, that expands the gaps in the pavement.

But don't think you can't do anything about the problem if you spot a big one while driving around. Report a pothole to the city by using the RequestIndy portal, at maps.indy.gov/requestindy/. To put in a notice to the city about a pothole, go to the URL and click "Create New Request." Then click "Streets, Signs & Signals" and then "Potholes." From there, you'll be asked more specifically about what kind of pothole you'd like to report, so fill out the form as it suits your request.

You can use RequestIndy to report more than just potholes. It also works for reporting stray animals, broken traffic signals, abandoned vehicles, illegal dumping and more.

If you want more context on the city's pothole problems, you can also check out the Pothole Viewer. It shows all of the potholes that have been reported in real time on a map of the city, and shows whether or not the city has responded to the reports.

It can take the city up to a week and a half to fix a reported pothole, depending on the weather conditions and volume of reports. In cold months, workers will use a cold asphalt patch to fix potholes because asphalt is not readily available until outside temperatures warm up. The patch, however, is not as permanent of a solution as asphalt.

More news on Indy's potholes:

► Poorer neighborhoods wait longer for pothole fixes. This is the city's explanation

► These men complain and complain and complain. And you benefit

► Noticing more potholes? Here's why

Andrew Clark is a digital producer for IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter @Clarky_Tweets.