Wonder what the road conditions are on a specific thoroughfare?

A new portal is expected to help officials monitor road conditions. 

Earlier this month, the Maricopa  Association of Governments launched a new transportation data portal  "for communities to stay ahead of the game when it comes to road repairs," a press release said. 

"As Arizona continues to grow, the need for accurate traffic data on where we drive and the conditions of the roads on which we drive is critical for planning for the future," the press release said. "The Sun Cloud provides a means of collecting and sharing transportation and socioeconomic data for the Sun Corridor megaregion – an area that stretches south from the Valley to the border with Mexico. "

A dataset tracks the conditions of roads and rates them on a "roughness" scale, the press release said. 

That information is captured using axle-based sensors — which come standard on new cars and trucks, according to the press release.  The vibrations are "recorded and included in several datasets" to help determine which roads need repair earlier than others.

The Sun Cloud transportation and socioeconomic data portal project was funded by federal grant money – $1 million which came from the Federal Highway Administration, the press release said.