SALT LAKE, UT, USA, May 8, 2024 – Blyncsy, a Bentley Systems company, has released a public map of United States public roads rated at 35 miles per hour and faster, along with paint retroreflectivity scores for roads within all 50 state capitals. This new tool is available to support all state and local departments of transportation as they prepare to meet new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) minimum levels of retroreflectivity for pavement markings, which goes into effect in 2026. Using its nationwide network of crowdsourced imagery and AI, Blyncsy was able to capture over 3,200 centerline miles of paint retroreflectivity detections in just four days.
In 2022, the FHWA released a final rule to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) that establishes minimum retroreflectivity levels for longitudinal pavement markings on all roads open to public travel with speed limits of 35 mph or greater. The final rule requires applicable agencies or officials to implement a method for maintaining pavement marking retroreflectivity at or above minimum levels. States and counties must adopt a method for maintaining pavement marking retroreflectivity by September 2026.
“Bentley has always focused on safety and efficiency across the globe from day one,” said Mike Schellhase, VP, Asset Analytics for Bentley Systems. “With this new technology from Blyncsy, we’re now able to support every state in building and maintaining a safer and more equitable road network. It’s exciting to be able to share this data with agencies looking for cost-effective and forward-thinking ways to meet the new federal minimum standards.”
Blyncsy leverages the power of artificial intelligence and crowdsourced visual imagery to provide automated roadway condition and asset inventory assessments. This technology collects street-level imagery from over 800,000 vehicles nationwide and assesses the condition of assets in the images in as little as 60 seconds of a vehicle passing. Blyncsy uses AI to detect and assess the condition of roadway features such as paint line visibility, allowing local and state governments to access the data needed for roadway striping operations and federal reporting requirements. This technology reduces the costs and burdens for paint line inspections by over 90% and supports safer driving for human and automated drivers.
“AI is enabling a revolution,” said Mark Pittman, Blyncsy CEO and Bentley’s Director of Transportation AI. “We’re making sure our public servants benefit from this revolution as well. With today’s launch we can ensure that our public works and maintenance crews across the nation can identify where and when to paint new lines on the roads, improve safety, reduce operational costs, and comply with the new FHWA requirements.”
About Blyncsy
Blyncsy is the industry leader in providing intelligent roadway insights, automated asset management and a near real-time status of road infrastructure to local governments and state departments of transportation. Blyncsy is the only company that utilizes crowd-sourced imagery from over 800,000 vehicles already on the roads, machine learning and artificial intelligence to make roadways smarter, safer, more equitable and more efficient. Blyncsy provides organizations and Departments of Transportation with the data they need to make better decisions when it comes to traffic, safety, and health. Clients include Hawaii Department of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, City of Plano Texas, and many others. Blyncsy is part of Bentley Systems, Inc. For more information, visit www.blyncsy.com.
About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY) is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry-leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities. Our offerings, powered by the iTwin Platform for infrastructure digital twins, include MicroStation and Bentley Open applications for modeling and simulation, Seequent’s software for geoprofessionals, and Bentley Infrastructure Cloud encompassing ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction management, and AssetWise for asset operations. Bentley Systems’ 5,200 colleagues generate annual revenues of more than $1 billion in 194 countries. For more information, visit www.bentley.com.
