Lakeland will soon use real-time sensor data and artificial intelligence — instead of surveys every couple of years — to keep tabs on road conditions, potholes and cracks across the city.
On Monday, the City Commission unanimously approved a four-year, $240,000 contract with Roadway Management Technologies, a Little Rock-based company that provides pavement-monitoring tools for local governments. The city will pay $60,000 a year, with an option to extend the agreement after the initial term.
The goal is to help city crews spot problems sooner, schedule resurfacing projects more strategically, do preventive work rather than emergency repairs and “spend our dollars more efficiently,” said Public Works Director Heath Frederick.
A ‘super cool’ project
“This is a super cool project,” City Manager Shawn Sherrouse said, echoing City Attorney Palmer Davis and several commissioners.
In the past, Lakeland has conducted a full pavement assessment every two to three years, Frederick told commissioners. “It was kind of old information,” he said.
The new system will install sensors on city vehicles and survey Lakeland’s roads “every single day” to see which ones need attention soonest, said Eric Pope, manager of construction maintenance for the Public Works division.
The contract begins March 1. Pope said RMT can begin installing sensors “within a couple of weeks.” He said the initial installations will likely be on Public Works vehicles like Ford F-150s “and possibly code enforcement vehicles.”
The city and company will collaborate to choose the vehicles.
RMT documents say police and parks vehicles are considered “less ideal” for sensor placement, since their routes are less predictable. And sanitation trucks are heavy and rumble too much.
“The sensors tend to give more consistent results on lighter vehicles with better suspension,” Pope said.
How the AI-based system works
As the equipped vehicles drive their normal routes, the sensors will collect vibration and road-surface data. When vehicles drive over potholes or rough roads, the wheels move up and down more than on smooth pavement.
The information will be uploaded to the cloud via Wi-Fi at the end of each day.
At a conference in October 2025, Roadway Management Technologies explained that it uses “one-of-a-kind, sensor-fusion driven AI” to process the data and calculate pavement-condition scores.
Lakeland’s results will be displayed as a color-coded map tied to the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) — giving city staff a clearer picture of where pavement is holding up and where cracks, rough patches or early potholes may be forming.
The annual contract will cover the hardware, software access, installation, training and technical support.
Regional bonus: Shared data from neighboring agencies
Several nearby governments — including Polk County, Winter Haven and Dunedin — already use the same technology.
Because the sensors collect data wherever participating vehicles go, Lakeland will also get pavement-condition readings when their vehicles pass through the city.
Commissioner Terry Coney asked how the city would handle information about state roads like U.S. Highway 92 and U.S. Highway 98 North.
Frederick said the city would share information with the Florida Department of Transportation and collaborate to fix problems early.
“It’s going to be beneficial for all of us,” Frederick said.
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
