Grey County to invest in new tech to patrol county roads

Grey Highlands Mayor and Grey County Deputy Warden Paul McQueen is pleased with a staff initiative to gather more accurate information about the county road network.

At its meeting on May 26, county council approved a proposal from staff to spend $93,303 plus HST on road sign data collection and Pavement Condition Index (PCI) project. County staff asked for permission for a single-source contract with Iris R and D Group.

The project will utilize the IrisGO data collection device to log information about the condition of county roads and will also do a complete inventory of all the signs on county-owned roads.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to look at a new technology,” said McQueen, who praised staff for coming forward with innovative solutions.

The technology will see a camera installed in a county vehicle that is connected to a data gathering and processing system. Information about county roads and signs is collected as county staff patrol local roads.

The county currently owns and maintains 8,500 road signs and must inspect the conditions of 1,738 kilometres of county roads. Current processes in place for PCI data collection and sign inventory are time intensive for county staff.

“The importance of accurate data is becoming more and more essential,” said Project Planning Engineer Trevor Ireton, who presented the plan to councillors.

CAO Kim Wingrove explained that staff were asking permission to acquire the technology through a sole-source deal to test the system to ensure it meets the county’s needs going forward.

“I appreciate the work transportation did in assessing this solution and bringing it forward,” said Wingrove. “We want a bit of time to use the tool and make sure it’s going to work well.”

Members of county council were supportive of the project and said they looked forward to possible future opportunities for the technology.

“There will probably be conversations and interest from our lower-tier municipalities as well. It could be a Grey County technology we move forward with,” said McQueen.

County council approved the report and the project will be funded with reserve money or surplus money in the budget.