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Technology Could Help Fix Local Roads

News5’s Piper Vaughn went to one of these roads that has been affecting the community.
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COLORADO SPRINGS — Road conditions have been a big issue for community members in the Springs, but thanks to new technology, more roads could be improving.

News5 went to one of the roads with community complaints.

Johnny Yaakob is the owner of Johnny’s Star Auto Repair. To get to his work, he tells me he has no other choice but to take Venetucci Blvd.

He says his family has been impacted by the condition of the road.

“My wife drove my car the other day and broke both rims on the right side because she didn't see the potholes. So it has been doing damage, and I'm sure to a lot of cars,” he said.

Colorado Springs Public Works tells me they are using a computer program called "Scenario Builder" to help identify which roads need the most urgent attention.

They used it to identify Venetucci Boulevard as needing immediate repairs. It's being used to prioritize road projects all over the city.

"When we go out and pave a roadway and have subsequent inspections, every year on that roadway, it will help us build scenarios on what preventive maintenance application to apply to that roadway at the proper interval," said Corey Farkas, the City's Public Works Operations Maintenance Division Manager.

For Johnny, he wants to see improvement.

Public Works says the city also contracts with a third-party company to drive the roads and give them a grade based on their condition. That information is also used in prioritizing road repair and maintenance projects.

Watch the full story above.
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