DPWH Uses Drones to Inspect Country's Longest, Highest Bridges

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are now being used to check the structural integrity of the country's longest and highest bridges--the San Juanico Bridge connecting Samar and Leyte and the Agas-Agas Bridge in Southern Leyte, respectively.

Under the guidance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Project Team, the initial findings of the drone inspections conducted earlier this month were recently presented to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The inspection is being done as part of the 'JICA Technical Cooperation Project on Improvement of Quality Management for Highway and Bridge Construction and Maintenance Phase III.'

"We are grateful for the support being provided by the Japanese Government in our effort to incorporate technology in improving and preserving structural integrity of our public infrastructure," said DPWH-VIII Assistant Regional Director, Eric Ayapana, under whose jurisdiction the two bridges are located. "This methodology will hopefully make our inspections faster, cost-efficient and less risky to our personnel."

According to Ayapana, the traditional method of inspecting long-span bridges usually takes a long time and is risky for inspectors. JICA Project Team Leader and Bridge Expert Hideo Nagao added that utilizing drones for inspections has been endorsed as it can be utilized more frequently and produce more accurate data in just a short period of time.

JICA's final assessment and evaluation of the San Juanico and Agas-Agas Bridges are expected to be available by February 2019.