91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Watch CBS News
Local News

Waymo, Waze pilot program uses self-driving cars to identify potholes in metro Atlanta

By
Christopher Harris
Digital Producer, CBS News Atlanta
Christopher Harris is a digital content producer for CBS Atlanta and the South region.
Read Full Bio
Christopher Harris,
Madeline Montgomery
Madeline Montgomery
Reporter, CBS News Atlanta
Madeline Montgomery is a reporter for CBS News Atlanta, born and raised right here in the Peach State.
Read Full Bio
Madeline Montgomery

/ CBS Atlanta

A new pilot program in metro Atlanta is using self-driving technology to help spot potholes and get them fixed faster.

Waymo and Waze announced the effort, which will use data collected by autonomous vehicles to identify road damage and share it with local governments.

The program is launching in several cities, including metro Atlanta, where Waymo vehicles are already operating.

Using sensors and onboard technology, Waymo vehicles can detect potholes in real time. That data is then shared through Waze's free "Waze for Cities" platform, giving transportation officials another tool to find and repair road issues more efficiently.

Waymo In Atlanta
Waymo self-driving vehicle in a shopping area, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, October 23, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Smith Collection/Gado

The information will also appear in the Waze app, alerting drivers as they approach potholes and allowing users to confirm reports, improving accuracy.

Officials say potholes can cause significant vehicle damage and increase the risk of crashes. Many cities currently rely on 311 complaints and manual inspections, which can miss problem areas.

This program is designed to fill those gaps by providing a more complete picture of road conditions.

Drivers say potholes are costly, hope new technology speeds repairs

"That's great! That's great! I think that's a wonderful thing," said Eddie Marshall, who works in Downtown Atlanta and deals with potholes daily.

"I hate coming into the city," Marshall said. "I mean, the damage it does to your vehicle, sometimes you're riding, and it's errrr. You see it coming, you try to avoid it, you mess up the alignment. It be messing up other stuff on your suspension system, so yeah, I hate it."

Marshall has even had to get auto repairs because of the potholes he encounters in his commute. 

"I've spent a few hundred, thousand dollars on different things," said Marshall. 

Marshall hopes Waymo's program will help. 

Currently, the City of Atlanta's Department of Transportation uses what they call the Pothole Posse. They find and repair potholes through online reports and 311 calls.

"It would definitely help if they tried to repair them a lot faster," Marshall said.

Waymo says it has already identified about 500 potholes across its initial launch cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

The companies say the goal is to help cities respond faster and keep roads safer for everyone.

In:

© 2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
const link = doc.createElement('link'); link.rel = 'stylesheet'; link.href = '/fly/fly/bundles/cbsnewscontent/css/cmp-banner.min.css?v=296763317a51cab90faa73f1bb146d5c'; doc.head.appendChild(link); doc.body.innerHTML = CONSENT_MESSAGE; } else { el.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', CONSENT_MESSAGE); } }); } function hidePrivacyMessage() { // Remove from the main document document.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); // Remove from inside any iframes document.querySelectorAll('iframe').forEach(iframe => { const doc = iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; doc.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); }); } function activateGatedScripts() { // Handle both new format (cmp-gated-script) and old OneTrust/Ketch format (optanon-category-4) const gatedScripts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('script.cmp-gated-script, script.optanon-category-4')); // Activate scripts sequentially with a small delay to avoid timing issues let delay = 0; gatedScripts.forEach(function(placeholder, index) { setTimeout(function() { // Skip if already processed if (placeholder.hasAttribute('data-cmp-processed')) { return; } placeholder.setAttribute('data-cmp-processed', 'true'); const newScript = document.createElement('script'); newScript.type = 'text/javascript'; // Try new format first (data-cmp-src), then fall back to old format (data-src) const src = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-src') || placeholder.getAttribute('data-src'); if (src) { newScript.src = src; } else if (placeholder.textContent) { // Inline script - just copy the content newScript.textContent = placeholder.textContent; } // Handle new format attributes (data-cmp-attrs) - for both inline and external scripts const attrs = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-attrs'); if (attrs) { const tempDiv = document.createElement('div'); tempDiv.innerHTML = '
<\/div>'; const tempAttrs = tempDiv.firstChild.attributes; for (let i = 0; i < tempAttrs.length; i++) { // For external scripts, allow defer/async. For inline scripts, skip them (not valid) if (src || (tempAttrs[i].name !== 'async' && tempAttrs[i].name !== 'defer')) { newScript.setAttribute(tempAttrs[i].name, tempAttrs[i].value); } } } // Copy other attributes from old OneTrust format for (let i = 0; i < placeholder.attributes.length; i++) { const attr = placeholder.attributes[i]; // Skip attributes we've already handled or don't want to copy if (!['class', 'data-src', 'data-type', 'data-cmp-src', 'data-cmp-attrs', 'data-cmp-processed', 'type', 'async', 'defer', 'src'].includes(attr.name)) { newScript.setAttribute(attr.name, attr.value); } } placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(newScript, placeholder); // If external script, manually trigger window.onload handlers after it loads // This handles widgets that use window.onload for initialization if (src) { newScript.addEventListener('load', function() { // If page already loaded and script set a new onload handler, trigger it if (document.readyState === 'complete' && window.onload) { const originalOnload = window.onload; window.onload = null; // Clear temporarily to prevent loops originalOnload(); // Execute the handler } }); } }, delay); delay += 500; // 500ms delay between each script to allow full loading }); } cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp) { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (!allowed) { showPrivacyMessage(); } else { activateGatedScripts(); } }); cmp.ot.awaitInitialConsent(function(consent_model) { cmp.ot.addOnConsentChangedHandler(function() { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (allowed) { hidePrivacyMessage(); activateGatedScripts(); } else { showPrivacyMessage(); } }); }); }); });