Township of King, Ont.— The Township of King’s Public Works department is using cutting-edge technology —including artificial intelligence software—to locate potholes and other road failures.
In early 2022, Public Works staff signed up for a subscription with a company called Visual Defence. The company provided King with a smart phone device that is mounted on a patrol vehicle.
As staff drive along a patrol route, the smart phone uses artificial intelligence software to detect road deficiencies and hazards, like potholes. Once the deficiency is identified it uploads the information into the cloud.
This data is then accessed by staff on a regular basis to create work orders to repair the potholes. The software also has a built-in privacy feature that blurs any licence plates, faces and other personal information that is captured.
This system allows the patroller to focus on other items and provides a dedicated set of “eyes” to look for and record potholes. Every time a road surveyor drives out on the road is an opportunity to learn about the status of King’s assets, and whether there are incidents that require immediate attention.
The technology was especially useful this past winter that featured wildly fluctuating temperatures and higher than normal rainfall. These types of conditions lead to potholes and cracks in asphalt.
Once identified, the potholes are repaired with either hot mix or cold patch asphalt to bring them back up to provincial standards.
Other municipalities using the system include Markham, Windsor and Durham Region.
Quote
Mayor Steve Pellegrini
Township of King
“Our roads crews are responsible for monitoring more than 300 kilometres of roads in King Township. Using technology to help locate and inventory potholes and other hazards is an innovative and cost-effective way to help us fix them quickly to keep motorists safe.”
-30-
Image
Screen capture of the Visual Defence software being used on the 16th Sideroad in the Township of King
Media Contact
Township of King
Jason Ballantyne, Communications Officer
Township of King | Phone: 416-559-5093 | Email: jballantyne@king.ca