Every other year, the City of San Luis Obispo hires a consultant to scan the city-owned roadways for imperfections.
The technology used is a van equipped with laser surface scanners that scan and map out the roads, detailing which areas need attention.
"They take that data, analyze it and use it to come up with the PCI," explained Brian Rodriguez from the City of SLO Public Works Department.
The PCI is otherwise known as 'pavement condition index.' This number lets them know which areas of road need help.
Once they have the data, there are a couple of other factors at play:
- The street location within the city
- The number of cars that use the street
- The street’s existing condition
- The budget
The main goal is to get the most bang for the city's buck.
The most frequented roads are usually the focus, like downtown.
"I definitely like what they did with Marsh Street and Higuera Street but I think Monterey Street needs some work. It feels like I'm driving on a cobblestone road," said Veronica Burgess, a San Luis Obispo resident.
Once this round of data comes back, they'll update their 7-year maintenance plans to start setting up new paving projects which usually happen over the summer.
