You may see an odd-looking vehicle puttering about town as soon as this week. The town has hired Citylogix, which uses a specially outfitted car to assess the conditions of Lincoln’s roads.
The vehicle-mounted sensing technology collects LiDAR/imagery data and 360° imaging technology to measure road defects, such as cracking, bumps, and potholes that will help the town identify and prioritize road repair needs. This initial step is expected to take about a week, but it may be delayed if it rains, said Department of Public Works Superintendent Stephen Olson.
The cost of the survey is $48,580, which includes comprehensive pavement condition data collection for all public roadways and three years of access to the Citylogix asset management software platform. “This platform will provide cost estimates for different paving scenarios, enabling us to analyze various strategies for rehabilitating the roadway network,” he said.
The goal is to use the data to determine the scope of a projected town-wide roadway infrastructure project as well as for short-term goals. The Finance and Capital Planning Committees estimated in March that a town-wide road project would cost about $12 million in FY 2029.
The part of Bedford Road that has gone though two different excavations for new water mains and drainage pipes is scheduled for repaving in spring 2027, Olson said. The soil and temporary patching over a trench in a road needs some time to settle from traffic, often over a winter.
$48K+ to take pictures of our road surfaces to determine how horrible Lincoln road surfaces are? Anyone on a bike could do this in a day or two – for a lot less money.