This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Reporting maintenance problems along Utah's highways is going high-tech.
The Utah Department of Transportation is offering a free smart phone app called UDOT Click 'n Fix.
"If people see a pothole that needs fixing, or think they are sitting too long at a signal that needs to be re-timed, they can use the app to click where the problem is on a map and add a narrative about the problem," said UDOT spokesman John Gleason.
It allows others to see what problems have been reported, add their own comments, or follow the issue to receive notifications.
"This just streamlines the process," Gleason said.
UDOT has been using the app for its employees for a year, and decided to make it available to the public. "We want them to be our eyes and ears" to look for problems over 6,000 miles of state highways, Gleason said.
The app is only for reporting problems on state highways, not for city or county roads. But that includes freeways and many major roads such as Salt Lake County's Bangerter Highway, Redwood Road and State Street.
Gleason said the state will prioritize problems that are reported. "Serious ones will be addressed immediately. Some — such as problems with seeing striping on the road — can't be addressed in the winter and will need to wait for spring."
Gleason urges people not to use the app while driving, but to wait until after their trip to improve safety.
He said the app will automatically show a map of where the phone is, but users can drag a pinpoint to where the problem was noticed.