St. Joseph County approves AI tool to help fix roads, do more roadwork with the same money

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) — St. Joseph County needs serious road repairs, which is why the county's board of commissioners passed a new way to keep an eye on the roads with the help of AI technology. The board voted to go through with a project in partnership with CYVL that will use scanners in place of people to gather PASER (Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating) data.

“In the past, we've gotten that manually — we would drive a mile section of road and make an assessment. What this will do is give us that data every 15 feet. It will also pick up signs and tell us the condition. It takes the objectivity out of doing the PASERs.”

Sky Medors, St. Joseph County Engineer

The technology will collect data on potholes and cracks, allowing the county to do more roadwork with the same amount of money. CYVL's project is different from other AI road assessments because it uses a 3D component, which lets the county capture chip-seal repairs and uneven pavement that create an uncomfortable cross slope.