AI to Power ‘Forward-Thinking’ West Virginia’s Road Maintenance

West Virginia is rolling out an experiment with artificial intelligence for its roadways that it hopes will make it the envy of the nation.

A five-year Mountain State pilot program will test how AI, aided by lasers and other tools, can help maintain the state’s transportation network, one of the largest in the US. West Virginia’s concrete implementation of an AI solution comes as a number of states have begun to study the possibilities inherent in the cutting-edge tech.

“We’re trying to be forward-thinking,” said Clay Riley (R), a member of the state House of Delegates who co-sponsored the legislation (HB 3214) that established the pilot program. “I think you will see other states who say: ‘You know if we can spend our dollars more wisely by using technology, that’s what we want to do.’”

Behind the project is the idea that a more advanced version of pavement management software like dTIMS can oversee the full roadway system with the help of cameras, GPS, and light detection and ranging—LiDAR—technology. The system will, in theory, assess potential problems with cracks, drainage, potholes and overgrown vegetation—and then recommend action to fix them.

AI offers West Virginia a chance to become more proactive in managing its roughly 35,000 miles of roadways—the US’s sixth-largest state network—said Riley, an engineer by training. Current methods, by comparison, observe just a fraction of asphalt to predict where repairs are needed elsewhere, he said.

Local officials say more attention to road conditions would be welcome considering West Virginia’s struggle to raise its low position in national infrastructure rankings.

“They are starting to slowly get better, but that’s just our main thoroughfares,” Preston County Commissioner Samantha Stone, said in an interview. “Our secondary roads are pretty bad.”

‘Often Underestimated’

The state Division of Highways has been given two years to implement legislators’ vision of road maintenance revolution, after which it will have to report on its progress in Monongalia and Preston Counties.

Legislators chose the two counties, which straddle the Pennsylvania border, because of the relative abundance of rural, suburban, and urban areas compared to the rest of the state.

An exact cost for the pilot remains to be determined, Division of Highways spokesman Jacob Flatley said.

He suggested the state would turn to Deighton Associates Ltd. to provide the digital know-how to implement the pilot program, which was officially authorized in early June.

Deighton currently provides a “pavement management system” that leverages infrared cameras to monitor roadways in cities and the countryside. Unlike many other states, the government of West Virginia is responsible for nearly all roadways within its borders.

More States Are Looking

At least two dozen states have pursued AI-related legislation over the past year, according to a analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Texas was among at least a half-dozen states forming panels to study the burgeoning tech and recommend how best to manage it. Maryland has authorized “Industry 4.0" funding for AI projects, while Georgia earmarked money for automated manufacturing.

North Dakota joined Idaho in passing legislation to ban personhood for AI, as worries grow about how fast-developing tech might eventually run amok over humanity.

The Mountain State stands out for trying to harness the promise of AI for the practical purpose of ensuring as smooth a ride as possible for drivers.

Reaching that goal will show that “West Virginians are often underestimated” despite their knack for innovation, Riley said.

“People think of us as sort of ‘old school’ and not really advanced,” he said. “We have some really exciting stuff going on here in the state of West Virginia when you look at the economic development announcements, and the efforts that we’re putting in our roads and our infrastructure.”