ATSSA Signal July/August 2019

The Signal | July/August 2019 21 Bringing roadway safety to new heights State DOTs deploy drones across the United States State Departments of Transporta- tion (DOTs) across the country have be- gun using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones, for their operations on bridges and roadways. Drones offer opportunities to enhance roadway safety by eliminating some on- site surveying risks and allowing faster response times for incidents that impact the traffic flow and safety of roadways. A recent survey conducted by the Amer- ican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) found that 80 percent of the responding DOTs were using drones for a wide variety of applications, and that 20 DOTs are us- ing drones in their daily operations. Us- age has increased rapidly over the past several years; AASHTO discovered no DOTs were using them in daily opera- tions prior to 2016. “This is another example of how state DOTs are advancing innovation to im- prove safety and productivity for the traveling public. Drones are being used to significantly cut the time it takes to gather data, which is leading to major time and cost savings,” said former AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright in a March 27, 2018 release. State DOTs are learning there are some hurdles to overcome when utilizing drones, outside of the cost associated with the purchase of the devices, includ- ing training and compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 107 Rule or by receiving a public Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the FAA. The Maine Department of Transporta- tion (MaineDOT) is one public agency that utilizes drones in its operations. According to MaineDOT Transportation Research Director Dale Peabody, the department currently has two drones, and has hired contractors to utilize the devices for surveying and bridge inspec- tion. The department began using the technology in 2017 and was able to in- crease the safety of roadway workers by using drones for their work on a busy roadway. “We had the extremely dangerous task of modeling the concrete barrier sepa- rating the north and southbound lanes of I-295 through Portland, Maine. Be- cause we couldn’t fly directly over the corridor, we opted to use aerial Lidar mounted to a DJI Matrice 600. This al- lowed the concrete barrier to be cap- tured by flying over the highway shoul- ders. Because of the level of traffic and speed of moving vehicles, we wouldn’t have been able to conventionally Innovation & New Programs According to AASHTO, 80 percent of state DOTs are using drones for a variety of applications.