Inside Unmanned Systems
BY NEESA SWEET
March 6, 2024
Drones Facilitate Construction in Departments of Transportation throughout U.S.
State departments of transportation use drones for construction related tasks and face challenges related to new allowable drone manufacturers. By far the most common construction use is for road construction, particularly road widening, repair and rerouting, as some states are tackling entirely new roads right now for both budget and capacity reasons. Drone tasks also include material volume moved and stockpile monitoring, bridge replacement and repair and railroad expansion track for new lines. Each state has its own uses as well. Construction takes place in both rural and urban areas, each with its own set of challenges.
Different states structure drone management differently. Some manage drones from a central aviation office, deploying as needed on request; while, in others, functional departments manage their own drone program. In at least one state, drones are “owned” by individual pilots who fly on request.
For most state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and those who contract with them, the workhorse drones for construction and other tasks are varieties of DJI. While the federal government, and some state DOTs, haves taken steps to ban purchase and some operation of Chinese drones, most DOTs we spoke with felt the situation was still murky and they hadn’t found comparable drones on the federally allowed “blue” list to match the capability and price point of DJI. As of today, DJI drones are in ongoing use, although one state had cut off their connection to the internet. Other drone companies in use or being considered for various tasks include San Mateo, California based Skydio. Most states use the camera payloads packaged with the drones although some have added capability. Some have also begun to use or are acquiring LiDAR.
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