diff --git a/src/components/sqliteStream.js b/src/components/sqliteStream.js
index 32e4a461..f53ed48c 100644
--- a/src/components/sqliteStream.js
+++ b/src/components/sqliteStream.js
@@ -2,16 +2,28 @@ const Readable = require('stream').Readable;
 const Sqlite3 = require('better-sqlite3');
 const logger = require('pelias-logger').get('whosonfirst:sqliteStream');
 
+// attempt to create index to improve read performance
+//
+// catch all failures since the PIP service will have several processes all
+// trying to acquire a write lock on the DB, and only one will succeed
+//
+// note: can be removed once the upstream PR is merged and all data on
+// dist.whosonfirst.org is updated:
+// https://github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-sqlite-features/pull/4
+function createIndex(dbPath) {
+  try {
+    new Sqlite3(dbPath)
+      .exec('CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS spr_obsolete ON spr (is_deprecated, is_superseded)')
+      .close();
+  } catch (e){
+  }
+}
+
 class SQLiteStream extends Readable {
   constructor(dbPath, sql) {
     super({ objectMode: true, autoDestroy: true, highWaterMark: 32 });
 
-    // ensure indices exist
-    // note: this can be removed once the upstream PR is merged:
-    // https://github.com/whosonfirst/go-whosonfirst-sqlite-features/pull/4
-    new Sqlite3(dbPath)
-      .exec('CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS spr_obsolete ON spr (is_deprecated, is_superseded)')
-      .close();
+    createIndex(dbPath);
 
     this._db = new Sqlite3(dbPath, { readonly: true });
     this._iterator = this._db.prepare(sql).iterate();
@@ -81,4 +93,4 @@ function findGeoJSONByPlacetypeAndWOFId(placetypes, wofids) {
 module.exports = SQLiteStream;
 module.exports.findGeoJSON = findGeoJSON;
 module.exports.findGeoJSONByPlacetype = findGeoJSONByPlacetype;
-module.exports.findGeoJSONByPlacetypeAndWOFId = findGeoJSONByPlacetypeAndWOFId;
\ No newline at end of file
+module.exports.findGeoJSONByPlacetypeAndWOFId = findGeoJSONByPlacetypeAndWOFId;