Waymo tech could target Pittsburgh potholes
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A new Waymo pilot program could soon help Pittsburgh spot and fix potholes faster, tackling one of the region's most stubborn problems.
Why it matters: Cities like Pittsburgh largely rely on residents' reports and inspections to spot the perennial tire-killers.
- A Waymo-Waze pilot aims to supplement this process with real-time data and an additional view of street conditions.
How it works: Waymo's autonomous vehicles use onboard sensors to detect potholes and pinpoint their exact locations.
- The company will make that data available to cities and state Departments of Transportation through its free Waze for Cities platform.
- The data will also appear on the Waze app alongside user-reported pothole information so travelers can confirm reports and help improve accuracy.
Zoom out: Waymo is first launching the program in five metro regions — Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area — where it has already identified roughly 500 potholes, per the company.
Context: Waymo continues to manually test its vehicles on Pittsburgh streets after announcing its expansion late last year.
- It was cleared by PennDOT to begin autonomous testing with a trained operator behind the wheel last month.
- Waymo's fleet has a regular presence across Pittsburgh, from Downtown to the South Hills. The company runs its local operations out of Google's Bakery Square offices.
What's next: Waymo plans to launch the program in Pittsburgh in the future as part of its autonomous taxi rollout, applying lessons learned from warmer conditions to more challenging winter environments that exacerbate potholes, the company said.
- The company has not specified how soon it plans to launch its driverless taxis locally.
- No companies operate fully driverless vehicles on public roads in Pennsylvania, per PennDOT, and Waymo will need additional state approval to do so.