GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — New technology is helping the city of Gallatin locate and ultimately repair potholes, cracks and other uneven surfaces on city roads.
The city is the first in Tennessee to use sensors that work similar to a seismograph and record vibrations that come from uneven roads. The sensors have been added to 30 city vehicles including Gallatin Police, Public Works and Engineering. As the vehicles conduct regular business across the city, the sensors record vibrations at roughly 1,000 times per second. The results are uploaded each day to an interactive map that highlights which streets are in the most need of attention.
"The biggest thing is it gives us an overall picture of pavement conditions across the city," said Charles Gavaghan, the Assistant City Engineer for the City of Gallatin. "It gives us an idea of what roads need attention and which roads are in good condition."
City officials said the city typically spends $1,000,000-1,500,000 for planned repaving, and an additional $75,000 for one-off street maintenance items. The yearly cost of the new sensor technology is $67,500.
In 2018 and 2022, a contractor conducted surveys of all city streets with cameras and road-scanning devices. While the results of that survey indicated the best and worst streets, Gavaghan said the new sensors will offer more updated information.
The sensors have been installed for about two weeks and Gavaghan said he is already able to review a fair amount of data.
"Ultimately, it should help us create a better pavement preservation type program."
In addition to the vibration sensors, eight cameras will be installed on city trash trucks to capture “Google Street View”-type images of our road network each week. AI software will then be utilized to detect failures, identify patterns and causes of the deterioration, and compare the effectiveness of various rehabilitation methods.
Gavaghan said the city's contract with the sensors will last five years. After that period concludes, officials will evaluate if they want to continue using the technology.
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