Your City’s Newest Employee is AI: How Tech is Fixing Our Roads
We’ve all been there. You’re driving, coffee in hand, listening to the radio, and then…CLUNK. You’ve just hit a pothole that felt like a crater, and now you’re wondering if your tire is flat.
For decades, fixing this problem has been a reactive process. City officials wait for two things:
A resident to call 311 and report the pothole.
A city inspector to drive out, find the spot, and log it.
This system is slow, inefficient, and relies entirely on citizen complaints. But in a growing number of cities, this is changing thanks to a new application of AI. Cities and states are turning to AI to spot the worst hazards and decide which fixes should come first.
Problem-Spotters Hiding in Plain Sight
Vehicles that cover every inch of a city like garbage trucks, street sweepers, and parking enforcement cars serve as the perfect platform for a new generation of smart cameras as their routes are designed for 100% coverage.
Cities like San Jose, California, are now mounting cameras on municipal vehicles. As these trucks go about on their normal routes, an AI model is watching.
It is a dedicated road inspector. The AI is trained to spot a huge range of problems in real-time, including:
Potholes and cracks
Broken guardrails
Faded or missing pavement markings
Broken or damaged road signs
Debris in the road or on the sidewalk
This Isn’t a Gimmick—It’s Just Better Government
The best part is that this system is incredibly accurate. A pilot program in San Jose reported a 97% accuracy rate in identifying potholes.
There’s a fundamental shift from reactive maintenance to proactive maintenance. Instead of playing catch-up, cities can now analyze and build a real-time map of their infrastructure’s well-being. So, the next time you see a garbage truck or street sweeper driving down your street, say hey! They’re not just keeping our roads clear, it might just be the new inspector your city has.
To read more, visit this article.