Regional council unveils AI weapon to tackle plague of potholes

• By Harrison Tippet

• ABC Geelong

• Topic:Roads

Posted Thu 5 Nov 2026 at 6:33amThu 5 Nov 2026 at 6:33am

In short:

The City of Greater Geelong says it is the first Victorian council to use artificial intelligence to detect and measure potholes.

The council trialled the technology with two street sweepers, detecting 1,600 potholes since August 2025. 

What's next?

The council says it hopes to expand the project to all of its garbage trucks and other city vehicles.

A regional Victorian council will use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and measure potholes plaguing local roads in a program it says will save money.

The City of Greater Geelong announced this week it would become the first Victorian council to use AI and smart cameras, mounted on two large council street sweeper trucks, to identify and measure potholes across Greater Geelong.

The technology photographs potholes as vehicles drive over them, sending the pictures to road crews along with width and depth measurements, so they can calculate the materials needed for repairs.

Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj, said the $7,000 program was trialled with two street sweepers since August 2025, and detected 1,600 potholes.

"What it enables us to do is to attend to these pothole repairs when the holes are still small," Cr Kontelj said.

"The AI technology gives exact dimensions of the hole, how deep it is and what materials it will ideally need, and that way we can respond in a really cost-effective way."

Cr Kontelj said early intervention would prevent potholes from growing larger, and more expensive to fix.

"Over the program's life it'll save us money," Cr Kontelj said.

"A stitch in time saves nine."

Expansion plans

Cr Kontelj said the program would be rolled out on two road sweeper trucks, and could potentially be expanded to the city's fleet of garbage trucks and other council vehicles.

The city also hopes it will be able to expand the technology to help detect road sign faults, faded line markings, roadside rubbish or hazards and missing drain lids.

City of Greater Geelong senior analyst, Alexander Hardiman, said it was exciting to see new ways of harnessing AI to improve the city's service provision, and help make some workers' jobs easier.

"All the AI stuff that's been happening in the last few years is just shocking," he said.

"Ten years ago I would have said this couldn't be done, but it's amazing what's happening these days."

City of Greater Geelong CEO, Ali Wastie, said the city fixed more than 5,300 potholes last financial year.

"The technology provides our field crews with better information about pothole locations, helping them plan and respond to repairs," Ms Wastie said.

"We embrace data-driven innovations because they free up time and money to use on other important services.''