Utah, United States
UAS Soar to Savings with Sign Inspections
Summary Information
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) uses Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) extensively in programs across the State. UDOT has the majority of its bridge inspectors FAA certified to operate UAS and has several members of maintenance staff certified to conduct sign inspections, snow depth analysis, and asset inspections.
Before UAS, overhead sign inspections were a time consuming process. These inspections, which look for missing rivets and bolts after installation, could only cover two to three signs per day with traditional methods and required additional traffic control to protect department personnel.
FINDINGS
In one project assessing signs on State Route 201 and I-80, UAS enabled UDOT inspectors to complete up to 16 inspections per day, saving over $100,000 through productivity increases and reduced needs for traffic control.
