More than 350 miles of Clay County roads will be evaluated under a new pavement-condition system designed to help guide future maintenance and improvements.

Clay County commissioners recently approved a $117,326 agreement with IMS Infrastructure Management Services to assess the county’s asphalt and chip-seal roads and develop a multi-year pavement management plan.

IMS Engineer Megan Ratliff noted Clay County does not currently have a pavement management system. The project will assess approximately 352 centerline miles of roads, collecting condition data that can be used to recommend treatments and determine when work should occur based on available funding and roadway priorities.

A specialized vehicle equipped with technology, including a laser crack measurement system and a profiler, will collect information on surface conditions, including cracking, potholes and rutting. While the equipment does not see beneath the pave- ment, Ratliff said engineers can use certain types of surface di…