The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

WORKS Minister Clay Sweeting yesterday defended the ministry’s $45,000 artificial intelligence road assessment system amid public skepticism, saying it is designed to do more than identify potholes and will improve how the government monitors, repairs and maintains the country’s roads.

Mr Sweeting said the technology serves several purposes, allowing the ministry to use measurable data to assess road conditions, identify damage, determine which roads need resurfacing and hold contractors accountable for their work.

His comments come amid growing public frustration over road conditions across the country, which have worsened following persistent rainfall in recent weeks.

During a media ride-along yesterday, which included visits to roads in Stapledon Gardens and Gladstone Road, Mr Sweeting acknowledged criticism that the system was simply being used to find potholes motorists already knew existed. However, he said its capabilities extended to assessing asphalt conditions, road markings, missing signs, cracking, rutting and other defects. The system, known as Visala, also provides information to help officials prioritise repairs, determine which roads need resurfacing and assess the expected lifespan of road surfaces.

“I've seen the comments, and I've seen people say, you know, your eyes to find a pothole, right? But at the same token, I encourage the public to be partners in this,” he said.

Mr Sweeting said the ministry could no longer rely on complaints, guesswork or emotional responses to determine where public resources should be directed, arguing that a data-driven approach was necessary to address a problem that has persisted for decades.

“If you look over news reports for the past 20 years, in the months of October and November, the news media carries many stories on potholes and the surveillance of potholes throughout the country. So if you look at the history, the 20 years have been the same thing. So we got to find new ways of doing things across the world,” he said.

The technology uses smartphones mounted inside vehicles to record road conditions as inspectors drive through communities. Artificial intelligence software analyses the footage and produces colour-coded assessments of individual roads.

Assistant Engineer Kenrick Stubbs, of the ministry's Traffic and Transportation Unit, demonstrated how officials can review footage, examine specific defects and assess roads according to different categories, including asphalt conditions and road markings. Inspections can also be filtered by location, date and weather conditions.

Mr Stubbs said the ministry had been collecting information through the software for more than three years, although the latest extensive inspection exercise began about three months ago. Inspectors initially focused on major roads and arterial routes before moving into smaller residential streets.

The ministry currently has approximately seven inspectors, who alternate between collecting road data and carrying out other duties.

The smartphones record footage without requiring inspectors to interact with them while driving. The software also obscures vehicle licence plates, pedestrians' faces and sensitive information on street signs.

Mr Sweeting said the technology would also strengthen accountability by allowing officials to monitor road-patching contractors and determine whether work they have been contracted to complete has been properly carried out.

He said the ministry had increased the number of teams working across New Providence and extended their hours to address the current backlog of potholes, promising motorists a smoother ride in the coming weeks.

The government is also increasing its annual road-paving programme, moving from approximately 25 miles of roads paved annually to between 60 and 100 miles in the upcoming cycle. New Providence has more than 800 miles of roads.

Mr Sweeting said Visala was only one part of a wider technological transformation underway at the ministry, with additional digital initiatives expected over the next six months. These include an interactive system allowing Bahamians to report potholes and drainage problems directly to the ministry.

He said the software costs approximately $45,000 annually and is purchased directly from its provider rather than through a contractor. Young Bahamians employed at the ministry are also involved in implementing the technology.

Mr Sweeting urged motorists to formally report road defects rather than relying solely on social media complaints.

“If you put a pothole on social media and you don't advise the ministry on where the pothole is located, you know, then we can't deal with it,” he said.

Asked whether motorists could receive compensation for vehicle damage caused by potholes, Mr Sweeting said claims were assessed by the ministry's civil engineering and legal teams to determine whether the damage resulted from a pothole or driver negligence.

He confirmed that motorists had received compensation over the past year or two, but stressed that payments were not automatic and each claim had to undergo an assessment.