A recent study used artificial intelligence (AI) to assess roadway conditions in 20 of the nation’s major metropolitan areas and ranked the cities where commuters might experience the most and least problems.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and RoadBotics, a tech startup company, conducted the study. RoadBotics gathered visual data from smartphone cameras mounted to the windshields of vehicles in the 20 cities and used AI to analyze the data. The cities were chosen to represent a cross-section of major metropolitan areas.
Data included surface distresses like potholes and cracks. During analysis, this was used to generate a high-definition map of a sample of the road system.
Researchers discovered Phoenix and Detroit were the worst areas studied while Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Fla., and New York City ranked the best.
“Stronger roadway systems get people to jobs, connect businesses to markets and serve major economic arteries,” Michael Carney, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation senior vice president of emerging issues, said. “This innovative look at America’s roadways highlights the urgent need to improve infrastructure in some of the nation’s most dynamic metropolitan areas, and why keeping our roadways in a state of good repair is critical as the economy picks up steam.”