As we all know, road maintenance is a full time job for any municipality in the northeastern
United States. Keeping our roads safe is an ongoing battle. It may be easy for anyone to see
where potholes and major surface hazards are located, but evaluating what’s going on beneath
the surface is much more difficult. For generations, the standard municipal road maintenance
process has relied heavily on human observation. Highway crews assess conditions by sight,
respond to resident complaints, and prioritize repairs as best they can with the information at
hand.
That approach has served us reasonably well, and it’s not going away entirely. Potholes, for
example, will still be filled the same manual way they have been for many years, by trained
workers responding quickly to problem spots and keeping our roads safe and passable. But
when it comes to the bigger picture of assessing and determining which roads to repave and
when, we’re about to bring Clarkstown’s process into the 21st century.
I’m proud to announce that the Town has entered into a partnership with Pavement
Management Group (PMG) to implement a paving management system that uses advanced
mapping technology to evaluate the condition of our roadways with far greater precision. PMG is
a nationally recognized professional pavement management firm specializing in meticulous
roadway condition assessments, strategic pavement planning, and long-term budget
forecasting. Through this collaboration, the Town will gain access to advanced analytical tools to
implement a comprehensive paving management plan designed to target roadway
improvements and extend pavement lifespan, while supporting cost-effective maintenance
investments. We’ll be providing our own employees with the advanced tools and data they need
to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively.
As part of the initiative, PMG will use its cutting-edge software to conduct a full review of
Clarkstown’s 288-mile road network and existing Geographic Information System (GIS) data.
This process will further enhance the Town’s own sophisticated GIS and ensure up-to-date data
accuracy, establishing a reliable foundation for future paving. The next step will be to use high
definition video technology to assess and document roadway conditions throughout the town in
real-time. Roadways will be given a numerical score that will be used to determine the method
and urgency in which they need to be repaired. The data and highly detailed video records of
pavement conditions will be easily accessible for remote observation, thereby significantly
reducing the need for redundant, time-intensive field inspections.
This state-of-the-art, data-driven process will replace the less consistent “eyeball” assessment
practices. Instead of relying solely on visual inspections or anecdotal reports, we can now
compare roads across the entire town using consistent, objective criteria. The result is a clearer,
fairer, and more strategic method of determining which roads need attention first.
Why does this matter? Because timing is an important aspect of road maintenance. A street that
is beginning to deteriorate can often be preserved at a fraction of the cost of a full reconstruction
if it is addressed early enough. By identifying those roads before they reach a critical state, the
Town can stretch taxpayer dollars further, prevent more costly repairs down the line, and
maintain a higher overall standard for our infrastructure.
By leveraging this technology, Clarkstown will be better equipped to proactively manage its road
network and prioritize funding where it is needed most. The result will be safer roads and a
more efficient and transparent process.
