A pilot project is underway using drones to carry out bridge inspections in West Sussex.

Balfour Beatty Living Places is working alongside the local authority to trial the initiative at Swan Bridge in Pulborough and Adur Ferry Bridge in Shoreham-By-Sea.

Routine inspections are carried out on all the region's bridges every two years to ensure they are safe for public. In the past, inspection work requires traffic management to allow inspectors to safely carry out works at height and over water, causing disruption to the public and road users. However, using drones helps to reduce the potential health and safety risks, as well as reducing costs, disruption and inconvenience to members of the public by removing the need for traffic management.


The machines are fitted with protective floats to enable it to safely land on water if required, as well as being fitted with a GPS system to prevent them flying into 'no fly zones', such as airport space, without permission.

So far, the trials have saved around £8,000 compared to traditional methods.

Steve Phillips, Contract Director for Balfour Beatty Living Places, said: "Using drones in our highways inspection work allows us to safely assess the work required while dramatically reducing any potential hazards faced by our workforce who would traditionally carry out work such as bridge inspections at height. It's a great example of how modern technology can be successfully used by industry."

West Sussex County Council's Infrastructure Manager, Kieran Dodds, added: "The use of drones enables us to obtain the necessary information to determine our highway structures are safe for use, while reducing the risk to our inspectors who conventionally would have to use access equipment when working at height."

(LM)