Indianapolis using high tech van to assess infrastructure - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The City of Indianapolis is using new technology that could change the look of your neighborhood, including a quicker way to get those potholes filled and sidewalks repaired.

Normally, when you have a problem like a cracked sidewalk, you call in to the Mayor's Action Line and wait for a response. But new technology - working right now - is expected to make that process a lot faster.

The new gadget is the city's new mapping van.  If you see the white van roaming your neighborhood, don't be worried.  Equipped with state-of-the-art cameras and technology, the van is checking the conditions of the streets throughout the city. And it's doing it at a much faster rate than people checking out a site on foot.  The city then a chance to assess what needs work, and how badly.

"They're going to check current conditions of streets," said Kara Brooks, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works. "They are going to rate the streets on a scale from 1-100, 40 being poor and anything lower is poor. Right now, they are collecting data, going around to all the thousands of lane miles that we have, to determine the conditions of the streets."

The van started work in the spring and will work until the end of the year.  It cost a $1-million and is paid for with Rebuild Indy funds.

The city already works through a "priority" system to determine when and where repairs are made, but the van gives them a visual record using a 3-D system of cameras

Brooks said this will allow DPW to be more efficient when making decisions in the future on what streets should be repaired.  "We currently have a process. The engineers go out and look at the street conditions," said Brooks. "But this is more cost-effective and a safer way to collect that data."

Repairs will still be made on a priority basis when funds are available.