New Computer Program to Help Louisiana City Maintain Streets

The city of Mandeville, La., has rolled out a new software program to help better maintain city streets. The Transportation Asset Management Program will rank streets on a scale of one to 10, allowing roadwork to be prioritized in terms of need.

The Times-Picayune reports Mandeville will be the first government in the region to utilize the computer program, which calls for a complete inventory and evaluation of streets, city officials said. Each street will be assessed and given a number, with streets receiving a 10 needing no immediate maintenance and those getting a one or two in need of complete reconstruction.

Mandeville City Councilman-at-large and Mayor Pro-Tem Rick Danielson praised Mayor Donald Villere’s administration for deploying the system.

“While a computer program isn’t going to fix the streets, it will allow the Public Works Department to more efficiently and accurately rank projects that need to be undertaken and to more quickly effect repairs,” Danielson said. “In that capacity, also, it will help us keep good roads in good shape, while sending resources more quickly to areas in need of repair.”

Public Works Director David DeGeneres and his staff received a full week of training on the system April 15-19. The Public Works Department staff anticipates doing a full evaluation and inventory of transportation infrastructure over a three-day period after the program is fully installed within the next few days. The cost of the program is $6,000.

“This system is going to be a huge benefit to the city and will help us more efficiently manage one of our most expensive assets — our roadways,” Danielson said. “This software will help us formalize maintenance and repairs, prioritize needs, and then help us budget accordingly.”