New technology is detecting and helping to prioritize various road defects in Nanaimo. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Reimagined road maintenance

City of Nanaimo navigating AI road maintenance tool during three-year trial period

Aug 18, 2025 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — While the City is taking its time absorbing vast amounts of data, it appears artificial intelligence will play key role in maintaining Nanaimo’s roads in the future.

The City is entering completion of its first of a three-year trial with RoadAI, by vendor Vaisala, featuring a pair of smartphones mounted on the windshield of City public works trucks.

David Thompson, City of Nanaimo’s manager of roads and traffic services, said both sides of their nearly 550 kilometers of roads have been assessed by the cameras.

“As staff are driving around the city doing their other work the system is running in the background collecting information on the condition of our roads and we can do it any time we want,” Thompson said of the pair of windshield mounted smartphones.

Asphalt condition, painted road markings and roadside signage are all assessed.

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Video, text and graph reports explain what the cameras captured in a detailed summary, all assembled in a matter of hours.

“We get a score that is based on the standard for roadway inspections in exactly the same way a trained person would go and do that same inspection.”

Emphasizing the new AI tool is being done in parallel with traditional road assessment practices, Thompson said they are encouraged with how the new technology is working so far.

He cited recent pot-hole filling assisted by the program.

Notably, he said various defects such as cracked asphalt requiring sealing or a new obscure pothole are issues that are portrayed in the reporting are also backed up by video evidence.

With RoadAI supplying “massive amounts of data”, Thompson said City staff are reviewing what the program is relaying and how the tool can assist their road maintenance strategy.

Thompson said their new tool offers a more efficient way of looking after their roads.

“…and free staff up to be doing more valuable work rather than measuring the length of a crack on the road.”

RoadAI costs the City roughly $40,000 annually, Thompson said, who noted the program has provided good value so far.

“We’re seeing how this system can work with the different kinds of maintenance management systems that we’ve got here at public works for managing our crews, work orders, capital planning and all that kind of stuff. It’s a lot of data, but it has to play nicely with all the other processes that we’ve got here.”

RoadAI expands on more limited pot-hole specific detecting camera program used in 2022 and 2023.

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