Ohio Department of Transportation announces road management project

The Ohio Department of Transportation is investing $700,000 with the goal of developing a road condition management system to identify hazardous road conditions across the state.

Honda has been selected to spearhead the two-year research project and will work in partnership with the University of Cincinnati, i-Probe Inc. and Parson, ODOT said in a news release.

“As transportation evolves and modern vehicles become more advanced, ODOT is excited to investigate new ways to apply technology and maximize efficiency for our crews,” said Preeti Choudhary, executive director of DriveOhio. “Integrating vehicle data into our operations has the potential to be a game-changer when it comes to better serving Ohio drivers and increasing roadway safety for all.”

ODOT added that the project is designed to help make roads safer and to reduce the costs associated with vehicle damage due to road hazards across nearly 50,000 lane miles and 45,000 bridges throughout the state.

The system will be used for early identification of potholes, damaged guardrails and the like, allowing maintenance crews to respond quicker and make repairs before conditions worsen, ODOT said.

“We believe this initiative will be a paradigm shift in road infrastructure evaluation, management and maintenance, by empowering drivers to contribute to and participate in creating safer and smoother roadways with a sense of shared ownership and pride, improving the overall driving experience,” said Sue Bai, chief engineer and chief of data business for the digital service development division at American Honda Motor Company.

This project follows a 2022 pilot program conducted by the Honda Research Institute that evaluated a road condition management system using GPS coordinates and cameras to collect real-time information.

In the latest programs, Honda test vehicles will collect road condition data on select routes that will locate roadway damage and inform maintenance crews in Ohio. It’s anticipated those vehicles will become part of the state’s active road maintenance system in the future.

The project will focus on the following roadway conditions:

• Roadway striping deficiencies that affect some driver assistance features, such as lane-keeping assist functions
• Pothole development, including size and location
• Ride quality of the road, regardless of the vehicle’s age or condition
• Guardrail and cable road barrier damage
• Road sign wear, including missing signs
• Condition of berms, including the percentage and depth of drop-off

At the conclusion of the two-year project, ODOT will evaluate long-term possibilities and use for other operations. LL

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