The Build America Center (BAC) is thrilled to showcase yet another grant success story, this time from the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC) in North Central Kansas. The NCRPC recently secured a $1 million SMART grant for its groundbreaking pilot program, which employs drone technology to inspect bridges and gather data on local infrastructure assets. To delve deeper into this initiative and discover the secrets behind their successful grant application, check out the BAC’s video below.
Based in Beloit, Kansas, the NCRPC serves 12 counties with 83 towns in North Kansas. This 18-month drone program will initially focus on four of these counties: Sedgwick, Saline, Cloud, and Cowley. This project is poised to revolutionize the way local infrastructure assets, such as bridges and elevated roadways, are inspected and monitored for safety conditions. The data collected from these drones will be integrated into a GIS-based platform that will inform solutions for infrastructure management and maintenance.
This forward-thinking project has the potential to improve transportation efficiency and safety, enhance GIS capabilities for the state, and serve as a model for other local/state governments across the United States who are interested in investing in technology-based infrastructure solutions. By utilizing drones for these routine inspections, less physical equipment and manpower will be needed to judge whether an infrastructure asset is in need of repairs. Traditionally, bridge inspections involve the use of large bucket trucks that are similar in function and size to construction cranes. These drones would therefore be especially valuable in rural areas such as Kansas, where it might be more of a logistical challenge to travel to different locations while hauling large, heavy inspection trucks and equipment. Not only will this pilot save valuable time and money, but it will also improve the speed at which data can be recorded regarding the condition of local transportation infrastructure.
As mentioned previously, the data collected will be used to build the local GIS capacity in Kansas which will provide ease of access for important information surrounding the inspected infrastructure. This can improve safety by alerting the proper authorities to infrastructure damage faster than traditional inspection methods. Finally, this project will inspire other states and local communities to continue developing their own innovative solutions to pressing infrastructure issues.
For cutting-edge infrastructure ideas such as this one, it can often be difficult to properly convey their full potential during the grant writing process. According to Debra Carlson Ohlde, the NCRPC’s Strategic Development Advisor, one of the most significant factors in the grant proposal’s success was their ability to seek outside resources that brought different necessary skill sets to the table. Deb admits that crafting this particular application was not entirely within their wheelhouse and having the assistance of other parties that could evaluate their approach was invaluable. Some of this outside support came from the Kansas Department of Transportation as well as a few different universities throughout the state that have experience in the deployment of drone resources in the transportation field.
The BAC is proud to have been part of the NCRPC’s grant-writing journey and to have played a role in making this innovative project a reality. To learn more about this process and to hear from Deb, watch the BAC’s video linked below.