Granite Shoals working to repair, pave streets
The Vialytics software that is being utilized by Granite Shoals Streets Department. Staff photo by Maci Cottingham.
Granite Shoals is using new roadway tracking software and a restructured Streets Department to prioritize repairs and improve efficiency.
The new Vialytics system tracks road conditions, documents repairs with before-and-after photos, and helps rank street needs based on deterioration. It also catalogs infrastructure such as stop signs and fire hydrants, and provides detailed measurements of roads to assist with planning and contractor work.
The city also recently reorganized its former Streets & Parks Department into two separate divisions, creating the Streets Department focused solely on road maintenance. Since the change, the city has invested more than $350,000 in equipment to bring more work in-house and reduce contractor reliance.
Assistant City Manager and Fire Chief Tim Campbell said during the April 28 City Council meeting that past contractor costs were a major factor behind the shift. One key example was the repair of Kings Circle Drive in 2022 which exceeded $300,000, using up 89 percent of the city’s street maintenance budget at the time.
He also said previous pothole repair methods were inefficient and short-lived.
“In the past, somebody would call out, say they had a pothole on their street. We’d send crews out there with a patch, a standard coal patch from our local vendors and each time it would rain, that material would float and wash away,” Campbell said in the council meeting. “It was creating an endless cycle and burden on our citizens, as well as our street crews and our budget.”
The city has since spent around $60,000 purchasing materials from Easy Asphalt for repairs, which Campbell noted have held up better during recent rain.
Future plans include a continued investment in equipment to expand in-house paving and prep work, with hopes of completing three roads this year. About 18 percent of Granite Shoals roads remain unpaved dirt roads.