Signal Mountain council leans toward iWORKS street‑assessment tool; staff to return resolution

Signal Mountain council members signaled informal consensus to authorize a pavement‑assessment service using iWORKS, a program the town already uses for work‑order management, and to ask staff to return a resolution at the next regular meeting.

Public works presented two vendor approaches discussed in recent months: Violytics, a vendor that mounts cameras on vehicles to collect continuous visual data, and iWORKS, which provides a periodic assessment and uploads data into a town map and asset inventory. Staff said iWORKS integrates with the town’s existing work‑order software, collects data at 10‑foot increments, and provides automated condition scoring and recommended treatments that feed into a budget/prioritization tool. Staff also said iWORKS will generate a sign and striping inventory and a color‑coded map showing pavement condition across the street network.

Council members raised cost and frequency comparisons. Staff described the Violytics price packaged at about $49,600 for a three‑year term (roughly a bit more than $14,000 per year after a higher start‑up first year), while iWORKS would perform assessments on a 3‑to‑5‑year cycle, with the ability to upload repairs to extend a road segment’s computed service life. Council members said the iWORKS approach would cover the town’s needs while keeping integration with existing systems and initial outlay lower.

Public works said staff are satisfied either product would meet basic condition‑assessment needs but recommended iWORKS because of familiarity in house and integration with existing software. Council members asked staff to return a resolution for iWORKS at the next regular meeting; staff agreed to do so.