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Public Works reviews AI-driven road-assessment tool to update city's road inventory
Summary
Staff described a product called Vitic that uses phone-mounted imagery and AI to map pavement condition every ~10 feet, producing an interactive, updatable color-coded map to guide capital-planning; councilmembers asked about AI risks. Council did not adopt the tool at this meeting but discussed next steps.
Absecon City's Public Works committee discussed modernizing the city's road inventory using a vendor platform called Vitic that applies image analysis to roadway photographs.
A staff presenter described how the system works: a mobile app mounted on a dashboard takes images approximately every 10 feet while driving city streets, analyzes pavement imagery with AI, and generates a color-coded, interactive map showing pavement condition and suggested treatments. Staff told the council the approach could be faster and less costly than the prior manual survey, and that it's simple to update on an annual basis for capital-planning purposes.
Councilman Clark asked about potential broader AI downsides, jokingly referring to "Terminator" and "Wall-E" scenarios; staff acknowledged the need to consider risks and safeguards. The discussion was exploratory: council and staff considered the tool's capabilities and cost advantages but did not authorize purchase at the meeting.
Why it matters: an updated, accurate road-condition inventory helps prioritize road repairs, schedule capital spending and improve transparency about maintenance choices. If adopted, the system would change how the city updates its pavement condition data and informs future road-program budgets.
