With highway construction costs surging 68% nationwide since 2020, Virginia’s transportation officials are turning to artificial intelligence to improve how the state estimates costs and manages pavement upkeep.
The move comes as the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) faces increasing financial strain from rising material and labor prices, supply chain disruptions, fuel costs, and unpredictable weather events — all of which have made forecasting and budgeting more difficult.
“It is a great time for VDOT to investigate the potential for Artificial Intelligence to enhance the way we make decisions given our ongoing commitment to improving our data collection and management,” said Cathy McGhee, chief deputy commissioner for VDOT, in a statement to the Mercury.
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