Japanese offer tech to cut cost of road repairs

Japan-backed tech innovators are bringing into the Philippines a new service that lowers the cost of fixing road damage by analyzing and recording them through a satellite.

Pacific Consultants Co. Ltd. and Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd. – both of which are based in Japan – are doing a demonstration in the Philippines of their road surface information service using Michibiki.

Michibiki, a satellite system, transmits signals from space to its servers on earth, making it useful for locating positions like car navigation.

Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication granted about P15 million to Pacific and Oriental for the conduct of the demo. Pacific and Oriental worked with the concessionaire of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to test the service on the toll road.

Between October 2023 and February 2024, Pacific and Oriental placed a transponder in a vehicle that reports road damage to Michibiki. In the process, Michibiki is able to measure how extreme the issue is, such as the depth of a pothole.

Oriental deputy general manager Soichiro Hayashi said the use of the service helps in managing maintenance costs, as clients may rely on the Michibiki data to predict surface deterioration and optimize spending on repairs.

Hayashi said the tech is best used in volume-heavy thoroughfares like NLEX, as it captures data 10 times in a second to provide the most accurate image of road damage.

This way, Hayashi said concessionaires like NLEX Corp. can prevent the further decline of their expressways and minimize the risk of road accidents.

Right now, the focus of Pacific and Oriental is to complete the scope of the demo it signed with NLEX Corp. Afterward, the Japanese want to land a long-term contract with NLEX Corp.

Likewise, Pacific and Oriental hope to sign similar agreements with the government, such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), to contribute to the conservation of public roads. The DPWH allocates billions of pesos annually, including this year’s P139.03 billion, for asset preservation.

NLEX Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., is responsible for managing NLEX, NLEX Connector Road and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

For 2024, NLEX Corp. has allocated P15 billion to finance expansion programs and road repairs.