American infrastructure is in bad shape. Whether it’s potholes or pipeline leaks, there are serious issues that need fixing—and soon.
In this article, we’ll go over the general state of US infrastructure, the federal government’s recent initiative to invest in and improve it, and the role that drone inspections play in reaching that goal.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
The Crumbling State of America’s Infrastructure
When it comes to maintaining safe infrastructure, the US has a lot of work to do. In 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked the US 13th in the world for quality of overall infrastructure, trailing behind countries like Singapore, Switzerland, and Germany.
In 2021, the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave US infrastructure a rating of C-minus, citing that 43% of public roadways are in poor or mediocre condition and an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost every day due to water main breaks.
Unsurprisingly, there have been several infrastructure failures in recent history. For example, in February 2017, the Oroville Dam in Northern California collapsed due to heavy rainfall damage, forcing more than 180,000 nearby residents to evacuate. In a court hearing later, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) came under fire for not reacting to safety warning signs in the dam’s spillway sooner.
Another is The Keystone Pipeline in North Dakota which has leaked multiple times. It leaked 408,000 gallons of crude oil between 2017 and 2018 and then another 383,000 gallons after a rupture near Edinburg, North Dakota on October 31, 2019. For years, the pipeline has drawn strong criticism and inspired protests from environmental and Native American activists alike.
Most recently, on January 28, 2022, the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA collapsed, injuring 10 people. Ironically, it was the same day that President Joe Biden was in the city to speak at Carnegie Mellon University about improving US infrastructure. Before his speech, he visited the collapsed bridge and reported that he intends to fix all of the nation’s 43,000 bridges in poor condition.
Unfortunately, there are many examples of US infrastructure failures like these and there are more waiting to happen.
Support is Coming: The U.S. Infrastructure Bill
That said, plans are underway to greatly improve the country’s infrastructure. In fact, President Biden signed a bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law on November 15, 2021.
This bill will invest a massive $1.2 trillion into repairing, modernizing, and building roads, bridges, railroads, airports, ports, public transit, power lines, and electric vehicle charging networks. In addition, it will expand access to clean drinking water and high-speed internet and address climate issues and environmental justice for struggling communities.
On top of all that, the IIJA aims to support 700,00 new jobs, including 175,000 manufacturing jobs, 175,000 construction jobs, and 100,000 transportation jobs. As ambitious as it is, the infrastructure bill is a much needed step in the right direction.
“With an additional emphasis on drones, Biden’s proposal would no longer be geared toward just fixing and maintaining our infrastructure, but rather modernizing America—creating innovative, future-proof, technologically and environmentally sustainable jobs and infrastructure. It would be proactive rather than reactive to infrastructure needs and updates. And it would stimulate the growth of a new category of safe inspection jobs in the United States of America.”
- Danielle Gagne, Commercial UAV News
The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act
In addition to the US Infrastructure Bill, the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG) Act was introduced to Congress on September 20, 2021. If it passes, it would provide state, tribal, and municipal governments with $100 million in grants through the Department of Transportation (DOT) to invest in drone services for infrastructure inspections, maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction projects. And it would provide another $100 million for drone workforce training at colleges and other institutions of higher learning.
The architects of the bill, representatives Greg Stanton and Garret Graves of Louisiana, expect drones to not only improve our aging infrastructure but to enhance worker safety, reduce carbon emissions, and lower inspection costs. After all, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), drone inspections cut 74% of the cost and 88% of the time of manual inspections.
“Drones are a common-sense tool to inspect some of the toughest to reach parts of our infrastructure. It’s safer, speedier and more sustainable. These grants will go a long way to help state, local and tribal governments invest in this cutting-edge technology and better care for aging infrastructure.”
- U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ)
The Role of Drones: Critical Infrastructure Operations
With so much funding set aside to improve US infrastructure, it’s important to make it go a long way. That means using it efficiently. One way to do this is by leveraging drone technology.
Drones can be used to efficiently inspect all kinds of infrastructure. These are some of the key examples:
- Bridges
- Nuclear Plants
- Highways
- Sewers
- Wind Turbines
- Dams
- Railways
- Tunnels
- Water Treatment Facilities
- Solar Farms
- Pipelines
- Oil Platforms
- Substations
- Transmission Lines
- Hydropower Plants
- Refineries
- Telecommunications Towers
- Waste Management Facilities
- Ports
- Smokestacks & Towers
It’s clear that if the US wants to revamp its infrastructure efficiently, it needs to leverage drone technology. Existing inspection crews simply can’t do it alone.
Drones can help inspect all kinds of infrastructure to help stretch IIJA (and possibly DIIG) funding dollars. This is especially important given just how much infrastructure the US has. As of 2020, it had:
- 4 million miles of public roads
- Over 617,000 bridges
- 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines
- 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines
- 417,215 cell towers
- 185 operational pipelines (with 34 under development)
- 12,714 active mines
- 91,000 dams
- Roughly 360 commercial ports
- 5,217 public airports
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
Benefits of Drone Infrastructure Inspections
But how exactly are drone infrastructure inspections better than traditional inspection methods? Let’s take a look:
Quickness & Efficiency
While foot patrols and rope access technicians take a lot of time to inspect infrastructure, drones can deploy, reach inaccessible areas, and capture 360° angles relatively quickly. This means you can get a comprehensive view within minutes. Plus, the camera view from the drone is live streamed right to the controller, meaning additional crew members can actively watch and notice any deficiencies.
Improvements in Safety
By letting drones inspect infrastructure, technicians can stay away from dangerous equipment and heights. This increases worker safety and overall health. The worst that could happen is an accident that damages equipment, but at least you don’t put any lives at risk.
Valuable Asset Data
Drones can be equipped with high-resolution visual, thermal, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors to collect a ton of valuable inspection data. Advanced software can then process the data to create detailed inspection reports that tell maintenance crews exactly where to go for repairs. The data can then also be stored so that you have a baseline to go by for future inspections.
Better Preventive Maintenance
Because drone inspections are so time and cost efficient, you can afford to perform them more frequently. This gives you a better chance of spotting developing infrastructure issues early on and allows you to perform better preventative maintenance to make sure everything stays safe and up to code.
Deployment & Scalability
After an initial inspection, AI-enabled drones can be programmed to repeat the inspection autonomously. This allows you to easily scale up infrastructure inspections by automating them over time. And you can deploy the drone quickly since you already have its flight route preprogrammed.
Drone Infrastructure Inspection Use Cases
With all those benefits in mind, here are some specific use cases of drone infrastructure inspections:
Drones can Inspect Dams
With the help of LIDAR payloads, drones can generate point clouds that give a comprehensive view of the entire structure. Inspectors can use this to analyze the dam from different angles and check for any deterioration, leakage, or cracking. In addition, drones can provide immediate feedback during earthquakes or after heavy rainfall and snowfall to locate any damage. During these extreme weather conditions, getting real-time inspection data is important for preventing potential dam failures.
Drones can Inspect Transmission Lines
With the help of infrared (IR) sensors, drones can detect overheating wires and insulators that could lead to deadly wildfires and costly outages if left unnoticed. LIDAR drones can also map out long power line corridors to identify rust, damage to pylons, encroaching vegetation, and more. This gives you a bird’s eye view of the utility so you know where to focus your attention when it comes to clearing vegetation and overall maintenance. And you won’t need to shut down any towers or substations, which means you won’t incur any revenue loss either.
Drones can Inspect Bridges
Their agility allows them to get under bridges easily and maneuver around trusses, struts, and beams to identify bridge corrosion, fractures, scours, and more. All the while, the drone operator can stay safely positioned on the ground and monitor the livestream.
This is a lot safer than putting surveyors on aerial work platforms or snooper trucks. And it’s far less expensive as well. You eliminate the need for costly lane closures and you can get the job done faster. In fact, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) found that using drones for bridge inspections saved them 40% in overall costs without sacrificing inspection quality.
Without a doubt, drones play a vital new role in modernizing US infrastructure. They help fulfill the aims of the IIJA and the DIIG Acts by putting federal dollars to good use, while also adding new drone service jobs to the economy. If we really want to level up the country’s infrastructure, drones are an important piece to the puzzle.
Getting Started with Drones for Infrastructure Inspections
Now that you know a little of what drones have to offer in revitalizing US infrastructure, you might wonder where you can learn about drone inspections more in-depth.
That’s why we put together a comprehensive ebook that teaches you exactly how to get started with drone infrastructure inspections. Download it for free to learn more about all of the following:
- Common types of drone infrastructure inspections
- Major advantages of implementing drones
- Examples of how drones reduce inspection costs
- Industry case studies
- Key factors to consider when beginning drone inspections
- Qualities to look for in a professional drone company
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
And if you already know you want to work with qualified drone professionals for your future inspections, we’re here to help! At The Drone Life, our licensed pilots have years of experience in infrastructure inspections for solar farms, construction projects, and more. Contact us today for a free consultation.
