By Taylor Dixon
The City of Carmel is using new technology to detect potholes and other road maintenance problems.
StreetScan cars mounted with sensing technology are driving through town to detect potholes, cracks and other road issues that used to be discovered through visual inspections alone. The technology helps the street department know which streets need to be prioritized and repaired.
“The condition of our streets is something that residents and businesses do not think about on a daily basis until it becomes a problem,” Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard stated. “Neglected roads can damage cars and delivery vehicles and hinder commerce overall. This is why we work hard to stay ahead of the problem and put money in the budget each year to repave roads that have fallen below our acceptable standards.”
The city is spending $68,000 on a four-year contract with StreetScan, which includes two full scans of the city with 360-degree street-level imagery and tools to manage the collected data.
“We get access to their Streetlogix Asset Management Tool, which is a highly customizable, web-based asset management software that enables municipalities to optimize their road budget within a user-friendly GIS environment,” Carmel spokesperson Dan McFeely said. “The system provides objective information on the current state of their infrastructure and makes maintenance and repair recommendations, including prioritizing roadway projects.”
The city uses the PASER rating scale that rates a road 1-10, with 10 being the best conditions. The city will focus on streets with a 3 or lower rating.
Scanning started June 6 in central Carmel, and crews aim to finish scanning the city within two weeks, according to city spokesman Dan McFeely.
Once all the information is uploaded into the StreetScan system, the street department will visually assess the streets with lower rankings. The street department will then use the list of most affected areas to assign summer projects based on available funds as they plan to fix the most severe cases across the city.