Pothole reporting: We're all in this together

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When it comes to improving the driving experience, we're truly all in this together. KC Scout strives to stay ahead of the game when it comes to researching and implementing new technologies that help keep metro KC roadways safe. One of these new technologies allows motorists to report roadway concerns in real time and KC Scout recently piloted a program that used this technology to track potholes in the metro area. 

Reported potholes are displayed as pins on Maps.
Over the years, the team has partnered with several crowd sourcing companies in order to better serve KC area travelers. One of these companies is WAZE, an app that allows drivers to report real-time traffic information such as traffic back ups, accidents, emergency vehicles, weather conditions, and more. 

This new technology is both real time and powered by motorists on the roadway. It provides KC Scout's traffic management center with instant and more accurate information about issues along KC roadways.

"Customer service calls are a great resource for pothole notifications, but sometimes they are not always accurate as the customer may not know which direction or route they are traveling when the report is made. WAZE allows the customer to report the pothole with the click of a button and a more precise location and the incident is reported to us instantly," KC Scout Manager Randy Johnson explains.

KC Scout began the pilot phase for this program in early 2021. This time was used to build the pothole reporting software, its collection, and distribution processes. Phase 2 of this program involved teaming up with MoDOT and KDOT maintenance to validate the reliability and accuracy of the data. Assistant District Maintenance Engineer Trisha Sen, Maintenance staff Steve Butler and Chris Scholl at MoDOT, and Drake Jennings and Albert Horn at KDOT reviewed dozens of locations between the July 10 and August 5. The results showed a 98% accuracy rate of actual pothole location compared to the reported location via WAZE.

Once potholes are reported, the customer service team and TMC operators are able to alert the appropriate maintenance team to address the pothole and prevent it from causing potential traffic incidents in the future.

KC Scout thrives on team work and while the traffic management center utilizes all sorts of cameras, operators, and other technologies to detect roadway incidents, it's always nice to have input from motorists who literally have their eyes on the roadway.

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