New Technology to Help Find Problematic Roads

San Diego’s streets may be one step closer to repairs.

The city unveiled a new high-tech car Tuesday meant to help show city officials where the worst roads are.

Late last year, NBC Investigates revealed the city has paid out more than a million dollars in claims for damage caused by potholes on city streets.

A 2013 study done by a research group in Washington D.C. called San Diego's streets the fourth worst in the country among large cities.

Cartegraph Systems Inc. will be contracting with the city to use cars with line scan cameras on top to collect data that helps determine how much it would cost to maintain the city’s road network.

The cars will go through all 2,774 miles of streets across the city. That data will then be used to prioritize what streets need repairs and maintenance. It will also help the city project the funding levels they would need to address deferred maintenance.

The project comes at a cost: more than $566,000 dollars over the next year. That’s money some people argue could go straight to fixing the streets.

But the mayor said you can’t fix what you can’t see.

The last city-wide assessment of San Diego roads happened in 2011 and the City Auditor’s Office recommended the street network be surveyed at least once every four years.

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