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DRAPER — We've seen the impact of unmanned, or drone, aircraft in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now the Utah Department of Transportation is tapping the same technology to better analyze traffic at a troublesome intersection in Draper.
Last week, the intersection of 12300 South and Minuteman Drive reopened as a ThruTurn intersection. Left-hand turns have been eliminated, so there's an adjustment period for motorists. But an eye in the sky helped create an educational video that shows us how it works.
Brian Bills saved for a year to buy his first remote-controlled helicopter in the eighth grade. His boyhood hobby has become a burgeoning business with his Pixair Productions partner Nick Ames.
"It's fully gyrostabilized and produces smooth footage. It's really impressive," Bills said, describing the company's remote-controlled helicopter they used to shoot an online tutorial for the ThruTurn intersection.
"We're able to get down, get close, and closer to the subject than what a full-scale helicopter can do," Bills explained. "It's a two-man effort that takes quite a bit of skill and time to perfect."
The pilot flies the helicopter while the camera operator watches the video through ski goggles and tells the pilot what he's seeing.
A UDOT study showed the intersection was near failure: motorists waited as long as 2 minutes to turn left. The Pixair helicopter documented the problem and the solution.
"It's a very innovative technology we used to model our animation that we used to tell the public and officials how the intersection was going to function," said UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo.
Instead of making a left turn at the intersection, you now drive through about 600 feet and make a U-turn at a new signalized intersection. You head back to the intersection and make a right turn to complete the left turn.
UDOT plans to use the helicopter for more traffic analysis. In the meantime, Pixair has its eye in the sky on road rallies, resort shoots and anything else that takes a little elevation.
"It's a tremendous tool to accomplish this aerial video work," Bills said.
Right now, police are working this intersection at peak hours. They're not ticketing yet, rather handing out informational cards while people get used to the new configuration.
Email: jboal@ksl.com
