Pavement Condition Survey using Drone Technology

Abstract:

Timely repairs of pavement defects are essential in protecting both public road and highway systems. Identification of pavement distresses is necessary for planning pavement repairs. This has previously been performed by engineers surveying the roadways visually in the field. As drone usage has progressed, it has become clear that drones are a valuable tool to enhance visual documentation, improve project communication, and provide various data for processing. The use of drone technology has improved both the speed and accuracy of capturing data. Available software has allowed the data to be processed and analyzed in an office environment. This report summarizes the use of drone technology for pavement evaluation for three case studies. Results from this study can be used to deepen understanding of drone use in the process of data gathering for timely repairs for transportation infrastructure.

Publications:

Pavement Condition Survey using Drone Technology (Full Report)

Research Brief

Authors:

DING CHENG, PE, PHD

Dr. DingXin (Ding) Cheng is a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University (CSU), Chico; Director of the California Pavement Preservation (CP2) Center; and the Director of the Tire Derived Aggregate Technology Center. He has worked actively with the CP2 Center since he joined CSU Chico in 2006. He obtained his Ph.D. in pavement materials and transportation from Texas A&M University in 2002. He worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff in Houston, TX before joining CSU Chico. He has extensive experience in HMA materials and pavement preservation on both asphalt and concrete pavements. He has more than 55 peer-reviewed publications related to pavement materials and preservation for TRB, AAPT, ASCE, and other conferences. Ding has co-managed or managed more than $9 million in research projects funded by Caltrans, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and other agencies and industries. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.

LEROSE LANE, PE

Ms. Lerose Lane, PE, is a Senior Pavement Preservation Engineer who has worked for the California Pavement Preservation Center (CP2C) since August 2010. Her work includes observing pilot project construction for a wide variety of preservation strategies including: rubberized chip seals, scrub seals, reconstruction with rubberized hot mix asphalt concrete, and double chip seals. Besides observing and evaluating construction and long-term performance of a wide variety of preservation strategies, she co-authors many of the technical reports regarding the construction phases and follow up inspection reports. Most of these projects are Caltrans projects on state highways or interstate routes. She graduated from CSU Chico in 1970 with a B. S. in Civil Engineering. She has worked for the University of California, Davis; the City of Marysville; the County of Tehama; and Caltrans in various capacities including: District Materials Engineer, Office Chief in Design, Senior Construction Engineer, as well as a Resident Engineer for a wide variety of projects. She has been a Professional Engineer in the State of California since 1975.

Published:

June 2023

Keywords:

Pilot requirements

Pavement evaluation

Photogrammetry

Pavement condition survey

Drones