MUNCIE, Ind. — Potholes on Interstate 69 between Daleville and Anderson are so numerous that the state has lowered the speed limit to 45 mph.

Traffic backed up seven miles in the southbound lanes, where travel was restricted to one lane while the pavement was being repaired, state police Trooper Kyle West said about an hour before evening rush hour on Thursday.

"I had two flat tires in that area this very morning and again on my way home," said Rick Atchley, a Muncie resident who commutes to his job as a picker at Amazon. "I'm having to borrow another vehicle to get to work in the morning. I'm having two wheels repaired."

Atchley, who drives a Chevrolet Cobalt, went on to say, "To tell you the truth, that part of the interstate has been bad for awhile, maybe four years."

Muncie resident Brian Caldwell, a field service technician who travels throughout Indiana, ranks the Anderson-Daleville segment one of the worst highways in the state, if not the worst. "And it's been that bad for a long time." He calls it a "war zone" with the potential to "destroy your vehicle at every turn."

On his way home on Thursday, Caldewell saw state police "pacing traffic" on the highway to reduce speeds.

So did Ross Gates, a Muncie resident who works as a skip trace specialist in Indianapolis: "There were state troopers acting as escorts so that we maintained a speed of 45 mph … There was a crew shoveling the patch mix into the holes, but … I didn't notice any improvements at all as a whole."

It's not just potholes, he said, comparing the highway to "a badly maintained wooden roller coaster."

Driving through the fog to his job as a community development coordinator in Noblesville on Thursday morning, Muncie resident Chris Allen saw eight or so cars on the shoulder with flat tires.

Like other commuters, he's always on guard for potholes. "I try to mentally track them, so I know which lane to be in," he said. He knows, for example, that "there is a bad one" at the 224.8 mile marker. In addition to "taking your life into your own hands," motorists also are taking the life of their cars into their own hands, he said.

The Indiana Department of Transportation installed flashing, 45-mph temporary signs on the highway because conditions are hazardous, spokesperson Mallory Duncan said.

State police, who say more signage is needed, have responded to numerous calls from motorists seeking help because of tire/wheel damage.

"Some are getting towed off the interstate," said state police Sgt. John Bowling. "From what troopers are saying, there are a bunch of holes out there."

Troopers are using what they call "rolling roadblocks" to reduce speeds on the highway.

It's difficult for INDOT repair crews to keep up.

"They patched a couple of holes yesterday that were just destroying tires — eight cars in one spot," Bowling said. "Overnight rain must have opened up some more, so they're having to go right back at it."

After the rain stops, Duncan said, INDOT will fill potholes in the southbound lanes between mile markers 219 and 227, keeping the left lane open while the right is repaired and vice versa. Overnight, INDOT supposedly will switch to filling the potholes in the northbound lanes between mile markers 228 and 231, keeping one lane open at all times.

"The plan is to have all the holes patched by the morning commute tomorrow (Friday)," Duncan said. "Since that is a temporary fix, this weekend they will come in with hot asphalt for a more permanent fix …. It's under contract for a whole new road this summer."

► $79 million contract awarded to widen, rehab I-69

Various Star Press Facebook readers said that areas of pavement "look like bombs went off;" that "years of neglect," not bad weather, are to blame; and that the potholes didn't just pop up this winter.

"We're doing slowdowns to get vehicles entering that zone to slow down to 45 mph," Bowling said. "That's the recommended speed to help dodge potholes and to help crews that are out there patching."

Interstate 69 between Daleville and Anderson was the only interstate pavement in the state currently listed as a pothole hazard on INDOT's online highway information site on Thursday.

State Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, personally asked Gov. Eric Holcomb to address the pothole situation "in that exact same stretch about this time last year," Lanane told The Star Press. "As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the worst places in the state. It's like you have to swerve and be constantly on guard or you definitely have the potential for damage or a dangerous situation."

The governor's press secretary referred questions to INDOT.

►What to expect in I-69 construction zone this winter

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com