Inverell Shire Council is set to trial artificial intelligence technology to improve the way it monitors and maintains its vast local road network.
The council, which manages 2,254 kilometres of roads across more than 9,400 square kilometres, has invested in the Road Vision Pro platform from Retina Visions as part of a 12-month trial designed to improve the efficiency and accuracy of road inspections.
Funded through Council’s existing asset management budget, the $30,000 trial will use vehicle-mounted cameras and AI software to automatically identify road defects, assess road conditions and help prioritise maintenance works.
Mayor Kate Dight said the technology would help Council take a more proactive approach to managing one of the shire’s most important public assets.
“By automating road inspections with this technology, Council will be better placed to identify defects earlier, plan maintenance more effectively and make informed decisions about how we manage our road assets,” Dight said.
The system can identify defects on both sealed and unsealed roads and also detect issues with infrastructure including signage, line marking and footpaths. Because it operates while vehicles are carrying out their normal duties, inspections can be conducted continuously without disrupting staff workloads.
Council also expects the technology to assist during natural disasters by recording asset conditions before and after events, helping support applications for disaster recovery funding.
The hardware can be transferred between vehicles and carried by staff, providing flexibility across a range of inspection tasks.
Council plans to have the system operational by July 2026. A report will be presented following the trial period to assess the platform’s performance and suitability for long-term use.
For Inverell residents, the investment represents a move towards smarter infrastructure management, with the potential to improve road safety, maintenance planning and the efficient use of ratepayer funds.
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