Colorado Springs using high-tech vehicle to analyze street, road conditions
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Evaluating the condition of streets and roads across the city used to be a process that took several years but now, thanks to technology, takes only several months.
On Wednesday, a consultant hired by the city started an eight-week effort to drive a vehicle equipped with cameras and sensors along streets and roads in Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and Fountain.
The city began using the Roadway Collection Vehicle System in 2017, and will use it every three years to analyze pavement to make better decisions and spend money more efficiently regarding infrastructure maintenance needs.
The process began with analyzing the surface of and guardrails along the Pikes Peak Highway. On Thursday, the vehicle drove through the city's northeast side.
This year, for the first time, alleys will be included in the survey, and roads and streets in Fountain and Manitou Springs also will be evaluated.
"The city has 120 miles of alleyways," said Andy Richter, the city's GIS supervisor overseeing the project. "We've never included them in our surveys before, but they're part of the road system so we want to develop a maintenance plan for them."
Pavement will be analyzed in 100-foot sections and given a rating of 0 to 100, with 100 being a new section. The technology also evaluates potholes and other defects in the pavement.
The city expects to finish analyzing the data gathered in three to six months.
“This system is an incredibly helpful and efficient tool that helps us make the best decisions possible for keeping our roads healthy and safe,” said Corey Farkas, streets manager. “With our drastic freeze-thaw conditions, roadways can change significantly in a short amount of time, and this really gives us the best picture possible of how our overall system is performing, and where we need to spend more resources.”
The project will cost around $266,000 in Colorado Springs, paid for with funds from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax. The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments is financing the Fountain and Manitou Springs portion of the project.
Data from the 2017 survey helped the city plan for the five-year, voter-approved 2C sales tax for expanded street paving that ends this year, as well as for the five-year renewal of the paving that starts next year.
