Technology & Drone Implementation in Twin Cities Asphalt Paving

Bituminous Roadways, Inc. has decades of experience helping government agencies, property managers, private businesses, churches, schools, and general contractors in the Twin Cities with asphalt installation and repair. So why is using technology so important to an asphalt contractor or their customers?

Using machine control and drones has made it much easier and more efficient to collect data, improve accuracy, and ensure safety.

Collecting Data

Having an accurate count of class 5 aggregate, asphalt rubble, and recycled asphalt product assists in BR’s material sourcing. Our goal is to use our own material, and by getting accurate counts via drones, we know how much we have or how much we may need to source from other vendors.

Today, it is not only possible to capture photographs and video footage from 400 feet in the air, but BR is also able to measure a material stockpile in about 30 minutes each, getting accuracies down to 0.1’.

In the past, this task would have taken days if done manually!

Improving Accuracy

The ability to use machine control and total stations for grading accuracy in tough locations has improved dramatically. It is now possible to capture upwards of 40 satellites, whereas three years ago, in the same location, that number would have been 15.

In addition, with machine control/automation, we are now able to grade to the exact design with fewer people, less time, and fewer errors. No more scaling off plans, and only verify grade every 20 feet.

This has increased accuracies 10x and has also made it possible to get under trees and closer to buildings.

Ensuring Safety

Safety is one of our BR core values, and by utilizing drones as a safety tool, we can now visualize the site via aerial photos, which will give us the ability to analyze site progress as well as risk factors.

We can also use these aerial photos for utility documentation.