![drone on ground at work site, California](/sites/default/files/styles/basic_page_hero/public/2023-12/drone-flight-crew-d2100-675.jpg?itok=XmGeqGgI)
Drones in Construction
Meaningful Data to Inform Projects
![drone volumetric measurements](/sites/default/files/styles/three_columns_slice_image/public/2023-12/drone-volumetric-measurements-d555-306.jpg?itok=7fdGmTcm)
Volumetric Measurements
Drones offer precise measurements of on-site materials, informing purchasing, progress and haul-away decisions.
![drone site optimization](/sites/default/files/styles/three_columns_slice_image/public/2023-12/drone-site-optimization.png?itok=7a2IFm1W)
Site Optimization
Drones can be used over time to identify workflow deficiencies, safety concerns and more.
![drone 3D modeling example](/sites/default/files/styles/three_columns_slice_image/public/2023-12/drone-3D-modeling.png?itok=L78JM7CG)
3D Modeling
Drones capture data used to create detailed records to inspect and analyze for existing and even predicted defects.
Meet the Team
Success Stories
Idaho
- Expanded a section of highway from three lanes to a four-lane divided highway with frontage roads
- Required more than 1.2 million cubic yards of earthwork
- Conducted drone flights to capture construction/earthwork progress and assist with public outreach
California
- Raised the main and auxiliary dams by 16 feet, modifying the service spillway and creating a new emergency spillway
- Oversaw earthwork for the massive 2.8 million cubic yards of rock material used
- Drone pilots captured high-resolution imagery of the site’s 450 acres; produced custom earthworks of the site’s stockpiles
New York
- Reconstructed the last mile of a 15-mile segment between the Bronx and Connecticut — a full-depth rebuild of 6 lanes and shoulders
- Drones helped monitor the amount of earthwork on the site
- Objects were photographed from multiple known positions, and then triangulated to develop a point cloud (3D shape) of earth material
![drone and drone operator on a worksite](/sites/default/files/styles/four_columns_slice_image/public/2023-12/stowe-wrrf-nc-drone-d270-170.jpg?itok=qj7vFAYl)
Stowe Water Resource Recovery Facility
North Carolina
- Building a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility, spanning more than 200 acres
- Deployed a drone to capture comprehensive data points within three hours
- Developed a facility model with photogrammetry software
![US 95 Idaho](/sites/default/files/styles/two_column_left_right_slice/public/2023-12/us-95-granite-north-idaho-d2100-1055.jpg?itok=qffk8yOI)
Project Manager Shares Experience With Drone Technology
Ty Bardwell, P.E., a project manager for design and construction management, answers questions about drone technology helping quantify actual conditions and costs at any given point in time.