Waymo, Waze Launch Austin Pothole Mapping Pilot

The partnership aims to provide city officials with data to identify and fix road issues.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 8:54pm

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a futuristic autonomous vehicle sensor array, with neon cyan and magenta lights illuminating the intricate cybernetic hardware. The sensor components are arranged in a geometric, modular pattern, hinting at the advanced perception capabilities that enable the vehicle to detect road hazards.Autonomous vehicle sensors shine a light on hidden infrastructure problems, empowering cities to better maintain their roads.Austin Today

Waymo and Waze have announced a new pilot program in Austin, Texas, that will leverage the companies' technology to map potholes and share that data with the city's transportation department. Waymo's self-driving vehicles will collect pothole data through their perception systems, while Waze users will be able to verify and supplement the information to improve accuracy.

Why it matters

Potholes are a persistent issue for many cities, leading to vehicle damage, safety hazards, and costly repairs. By partnering with tech companies like Waymo and Waze, Austin hopes to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its road conditions to better target maintenance and infrastructure improvements.

The details

The pilot program will see Waymo's autonomous vehicles gathering pothole data as they drive around Austin. Waze users will also be able to contribute their own reports to help verify and expand the information. The city's transportation department plans to use this data to inform its pavement maintenance programs and make more strategic investments.

  • The pilot program was announced on April 9, 2026.

The players

Waymo

An autonomous driving company and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

Waze

A community-based traffic and navigation app owned by Google.

City of Austin Transportation Department

The local government agency responsible for maintaining and improving the city's transportation infrastructure.

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What they’re saying

“The City is aware of the announcement by Waymo and Waze. We have long desired increased data sharing from AV companies as they expand operations and gather data throughout the transportation network, and this pilot could be a positive step to more mutually beneficial relationships between companies and local government.”

— City of Austin Spokesperson

What’s next

The city of Austin plans to analyze the data provided by Waymo and Waze to compare it with previous 311 pothole reports and validate the accuracy of the information. This could help inform future pavement maintenance programs and infrastructure investments.

The takeaway

This partnership between tech companies and the local government demonstrates the potential for data-driven solutions to address longstanding urban infrastructure challenges. By leveraging autonomous vehicle sensors and crowdsourced community data, Austin hopes to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its road conditions and make more strategic investments in pothole repair and prevention.