Surveying roads at 100 km/h

Germany’s road network has a hard time dealing with wind and weather, tires and steel. Until now, however, surveying the damage caused to asphalt and concrete was laborious and expensive. A new laser scanner is cheaper, faster and more precise. ermany’s roads are worth 470 billion euros. Roads in fact account for over 60 percent of the capital assets of many municipalities. But there’s a risk that this value is deteriorating, as many roads now look back on 30 years of service and more. Weather and wear have taken a heavy toll on the asphalt and concrete surfaces. In spite of efforts to shift some of the transport burden to rail and water routes, 65 percent of freight traffic and 82 percent of passenger traffic is still by road. As reports of ever greater damage become more frequent, the budget for maintaining the road network steadily grows, and is now set to reach a historic high of 3.5 billion euros in 2016...