AUGUST 2, 2024:
It’s kind of like a streets of Pierre edition of Google Maps and it’s been happening this week (July 29-Aug. 2, 2024).
Pierre City Engineer Nick Waters says a specialized contractor has been driving every paved street in town gathering information about potholes, cracks and overall pavement conditions.
Waters says StreetScan uses vehicle-mounted technology to do the work.
Once the driving is finished, Waters says street conditions are aggregated, organized and uploaded into a GIS system to provide a visual representation of street conditions throughout the community.
Waters says the results of the scan will help the city prioritize streets projects for the next several years. He says StreetScan can assess in one week what would take city staff an entire year to do. Pierre first used this system in 2021.
JULY 29, 2024:
All paved streets in Pierre will get a health assessment this week.
The City of Pierre hired StreetScan, a specialized contractor, to scan all of the city’s streets with vehicle-mounted sensing technology. The results of the scan will help the city prioritize streets projects for the next several years.
“Street conditions are one of the city’s top priorities,” said City Engineer, Nick Waters. “This is a comprehensive and impartial way for us to identify and prioritize needed street projects.”
According to Waters, the technology can sense potholes, bumps, cracks, and overall pavement conditions.
“We used this system for the first time in 2021 to help us plan our street maintenance and repair program. It can assess in a week what would take staff an entire year to do.”
The StreetScan car will literally drive every paved street in Pierre between Monday, July 29 and Friday, August 2. The data is then aggregated, organized, and uploaded into a GIS system to provide a visual representation of street conditions throughout the community.
“We expect to have the full report back in time to use during the planning process for 2025 street construction,” said Waters.
The City of Pierre employs a variety of tactics to preserve, maintain, and improve city streets. They include curb and gutter improvements to keep moisture from pooling on streets; slurry seal and chip seal processes to fortify streets and protect them from damage; paving projects to provide a fresh surface; and street rebuilds to complete underground utility work and build new street over it.
Pierre maintains more than 80 miles of streets.
