Waymo helps City of Austin detect potholes
Waymo sensors help detect Austin potholes
Autonomous vehicles are helping City of Austin crews identify road problems.
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin is getting some help in the fight against potholes.
Autonomous vehicles are doing more than just giving people rides, they are helping city crews identify road problems.
What they're saying:
Keeping up with potholes in Austin is a never-ending job for city crews.
"Last year in 2025, our street and bridge crews, our fantastic street and bridge crews filled over 1,800 potholes in Austin, all reported by residents in the community," Austin Transportation and Public Works Assistant Director Lewis Leff said.
The city now has another way to find them, through Waymo’s self-driving cars.
The autonomous vehicles use their sensors to detect rough sports in the road.
"We collect this data to improve the Waymo driver's driving behavior. If you're in the back of a Waymo and going over a pothole, we want to make sure that experience is smooth and so what we needed to do was figure out a way, how do we get our data to cities?" Waymo Policy Development and Research Manager Arielle Fleisher said.
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Since April, Waymo said the information has been shared through Waze’s ‘Waze for Cities’ platform and the city’s crews can access it for free.
"It's a latitude and longitude and the side of the street," Fleisher said.
Transportation crews then review the report and determine whether repairs are needed.
"These vehicles are collecting a lot of information and data throughout the day and throughout our 300 square miles of Austin and what that information can provide for us is another set of eyes on the street, if you will," Leff said.
Since the program launched, Leff said dozens of potential potholes have already been flagged.
"We're really focused on what data can help you make your streets safer. This is ideally just the beginning," Fleisher said.
What's next:
City officials said Waymo’s reports won’t replace resident complaints through 311, but hope this technology will give crews another tool to help keep Austin roads in good shape.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis