Potholes are the single biggest contributor to the global cost of poor road conditions. This guide covers how they form, what each severity level needs, and how AI finds and prioritises every one from a single survey drive.
What Is Inside
- How a pothole forms, layer by layer, from the first crack
- The safety and cost case, including the 400 billion dollar global figure
- The four-step AI survey pipeline from dashcam to work order
- A severity matrix with the right treatment and urgency for each level
What Causes Them
- Water entering through surface cracks and weakening the base
- Freeze and thaw cycles pushing the asphalt apart
- Heavy vehicle loads fracturing the weakened zone
- The asphalt chunk breaking free under load
How AI Finds Them
- Collect: dashcam on any vehicle or phone, GPS-tagged, no road closures
- Detect: 65+ defect types classified and severity-scored automatically
- Locate: exact GPS and chainage per defect, with area measurement
- Deliver: GIS dashboard, priority list and cost estimates within hours
Severity and What To Do
- Low, under 25 mm: crack sealing and surface treatment, within 90 days
- Medium, 25 to 50 mm: cold or hot mix patching with edge prep, within 30 days
- High, 50 to 100 mm: full-depth patching in layers, within 7 days
- Critical, over 100 mm: full-depth reclamation or mill and overlay, immediate
Who It Is For
- Road authorities and municipal bodies
- Survey and inspection teams
- Maintenance contractors and consultants
A small crack sealed today prevents a full-depth repair next year. Every month of delay multiplies the cost by 3 to 5 times.
