§17-2A-25. Road optimization and assessment data pilot program; legislative findings and purposes; reporting.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:

(1) Properly maintained roads are important to the economic and industrial growth and development of the state and to the health, education, welfare, and prosperity of the state’s residents;

(2) Roads that are not well-maintained because of potholes, patching, cracking, road shoulder issues, canopy brush, or drainage issues do not contribute to the health, education, welfare, and prosperity of the residents of this state;

(3) Data is and has been collected by the West Virginia Division of Highways for purposes of an overall assessment and evaluation of road maintenance; and

(4) The purpose of this section is to create a pilot program to study alternative, advanced methods of assessing the conditions of the roads that will lead to improved processes of addressing road maintenance needs.

(b) The Road Optimization and Assessment Data (ROAD) Pilot Program is hereby created. The Commissioner of Highways shall develop and implement the pilot program concerning the collection of data and the overall assessment of the conditions of the paved roads of the state and the repairs and maintenance required to ensure well-maintained roads. The pilot program shall include a combination of urban and rural roads, using Monongalia County and Preston County as the test areas for this pilot program and, to the broadest extend feasible:

(1) Use existing assessments in the pilot counties to teach the program;

(2) Incorporate machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), or other advanced technologies to assess state roads;

(3) Use Global Positioning System (GPS) data or geotagging, including high accuracy precision GPS, to indicate road geometry and curvature;

(4) Use laser measuring systems, including video, that are capable of longitudinal profiling, identifying and measuring of cracks, pavement distress, potholes, patching, road shoulder issues, canopy brush, and drainage issues;

(5) Use video for road imagery as well as canopy brush and drainage documentation;

(6) Use a reflectometer system to check the reflectivity of painted lines;

(7) Utilize post-data capture processing to create a baseline for road condition assessment based on standards of the Division of Highways and the ASTM D6433-11 Standard Practice for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement Condition Index Surveys; and

(8) Incorporate the data gathered pursuant to this section within the Division of Highways’ existing pavement management system, or an alternative machine learning or artificial intelligence system in order to improve predictive analysis of roads and to guide in the performance of preventive maintenance for roads rather than reactive maintenance.

(c) The commissioner shall provide for the data capturing and processing pursuant to this section at intervals determined by the commissioner to adequately collect and assess data for maintenance purposes: Provided, That data capturing and processing shall occur at least twice during the pilot project. The data shall compare the changes in road conditions, such as deterioration of roads from previous conditions, average daily traffic, and heavy truck traffic if such information is available.

(d) The term of this pilot program is five years. At the conclusion of year two and year four of the pilot program, and at the conclusion of the pilot program, the commissioner shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Department of Transportation Accountability on the steps taken to implement the pilot program, identify the technologies used in the pilot program, outline the data collected through the pilot program, identify costs of the pilot program, summarize any improvements in road maintenance and pavement management processes that may be realized through the pilot program, and make recommendations concerning improvements to and continuation of the pilot program.