BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A new car is hitting the roads of Bowling Green in an effort to improve the quality of the city's streets.
In partnership with StreetScan, a company that assesses road health, technology mounted on vehicles will be used to evaluate the quality of Bowling Green's roadways.
Mike Yatsko, who lives on Clay Street, has been a Bowling Green resident for 15 years. He is proud of various city improvements over the years, but he thinks people will start getting nervous when cameras roll into town.
"Honestly, I thought it was something similar to Google Maps' cars that go around and map the streets," he said.
The driver of the StreetScan car said it doesn't take photos of people and their homes. It uses a technology called a Pavement Condition Index scan to assess street conditions.
Mick Murray, the director of the city's Public Works Division, said the Massachusetts-based StreetScan was chosen to provide an unbiased report on road conditions.
After learning what it was, Yatsko approved.
"Finally, they are doing something that's logical and attacking it priority-wise worst to best rather than 'oh, some influential person lives on this street and he wants his street done first even though it's not as bad as some other streets,'" he said.
The program, which will cost about $25,000, is paid for with taxpayer dollars out of the operating fund, Murray said.
"The difference between this one and prior street scans is that this one will evolve as we make repairs and have roads replaced and the scores will constantly change," Murray said.
Yatsko said he trusts the city's plan and is looking forward to seeing the future improvements, which the city says will be visible by next year.
