Drones used to help with bridge inspections in Essex
Highways have invested in the tech to help save time and money.
Last updated 18th Nov 2021
The camera drones have been already used in the industry and are now helping Essex Highway engineers to inspect over 1.500 bridges and culverts across the county.
Unlike traditional methods, the County Council says drone inspections provide safer and more cost-effective solutions. They do not require closing the bridge to traffic, decreasing the costs, and increasing the operation's overall efficiency.
Cllr Sue Lissimore, Essex County Council Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: "We have been looking at drones the wrong way. We have been looking at them as toys, and they have been around for the last few Christmases, so we all had great fun with them.
"I think it is only in the last year or two that we have started looking at them sensibly in how they can be used practically in a business environment. When you could see what you could do with them, it became obvious that they would be perfect for being used for bridge inspections."
Mrs Lissimore said the traditional methods would require closing the bridge off and putting traffic lights up. With drones, the inspection can be carried much faster as they can easily access difficult or dangerous areas for inspectors to reach and record it from different angles.
The inspections are carried out every five to ten years on structures, depending on what they are made of. Essex County Council works in partnership with Ringway Jacobs to maintain and deliver significant improvements to highway assets.
"We have a strategic partnership with Ringway Jacobs to try and deliver the improvements, and this is just one of them, where we are looking at the technology to see how it can improve things for the future."