Faced with soaring highway construction costs, Virginia is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to improve cost estimation and pavement management. Since 2020, construction expenses have surged 68% nationwide, placing financial strain on the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
VDOT is grappling with rising material and labor costs, supply chain disruptions, fuel price fluctuations and unpredictable weather patterns, all of which have made budgeting and forecasting increasingly difficult.
"It is a great time for VDOT to investigate the potential for artificial intelligence to enhance the way we make decisions given our ongoing commitment to improving our data collection and management," said Cathy McGhee, VDOT's chief deputy commissioner, in a statement to the Virginia Mercury.
McGhee stressed that AI could maximize VDOT’s investments amid escalating construction expenses. Initial AI pilot programs will focus on cost estimation and pavement management.
Virginia oversees one of the nation’s largest state-controlled roadway networks, with nearly 60,000 miles of roads and an additional 10,000 miles in cities and towns. Since 2019, pavement resurfacing costs alone have climbed 45%.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and state lawmakers are working to integrate AI across various sectors, including transportation, health care and security.
As Virginia awaits Youngkin’s decision on AI-related legislation, Del. Michelle Maldonado, D-Manassas, expressed optimism about VDOT’s initiative.
"I think it’s a smart way to use AI, which helps to augment versus replace the human element, and provides better data analysis and hopefully traffic flow," she said.
Source: Dailyprogress.com, Virginia Mercury
