SAVANNAH, GA (July 25, 2018) — The City of Savannah is partnering with ‘Roadbotics’ to use machine-learning technology to better assess Savannah’s roadway conditions. Roadbotics utilizes smartphone cameras and technology to assess the conditions of streets and roadways. Their machine-learning technology analyzes the data and provides a map detailing the results of the assessment.

In the past, the City would hire interns to complete assessments of the nearly 700 miles of City roadways. This process would typically take 3 years to complete the 700 mile assessment. Roadbotics plans to complete their assessment of 350 miles of roadway in just a few months. The intern roadway assessments lacked consistency, required multiple training sessions, and involved a large amount of staff time to administrator.

“This partnership with Roadbotics will allow us to better assess the overall condition of City roadways and increase the accuracy of the data collected. It ultimately allows us to be more effective in managing the replacement of our infrastructure” said Heath Lloyd, the City’s Chief Infrastructure and Development Officer. “Our goal is to use our resources in the most efficient manner possible. Roadbotics helps us accomplish that goal by enhancing our ability to better plan and implement City-wide roadway replacement schedules”.

Roadbotics rates all roads on a five-point scale. In addition they provide photos of every 10 feet of road, an interactive map, a compatible GIS layer, and typically complete the entire assessment within a few months. The City’s contract with Roadbotics will assess 350 miles of the nearly 700 total miles of Savannah’s streets at a cost of $24,990. Roadbotics will soon will be driving and assessing the City’s roadways and is scheduled to complete the assessment in August 2018.

Assessing and improving the City’s roadways aligns with the City’s Savannah Forward Strategic Plan. Improving Infrastructure is one of the top five priorities set forth by City Council. The City hopes by 2022, Savannah streets will be on a 20-year resurfacing rotation.