From the Director
by Matt Cate, P.E.
As I write to you today, spring has already sprung. Flowers are blooming, I've heard lawnmowers in the distance at times, and some people are already complaining about allergies. The basketball Vols survived the first weekend of the NCAA tournament and will soon face Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen. Hopefully I will be recounting a few more games past that when I deliver my next update in the Spring issue.
We should also talk a bit about the winter of 2019. Precipitation was a big part of the story this year. We did have some snowfall in December and January, but it was the rain that really caused problems for most of us. The Tennessee Valley Authority had already reported that 2018 was the wettest year on record for the Tennessee River valley. The 2018 average rainfall total of 67.1 inches surpassed the old record of 65.1 inches set in 1973. Average annual rainfall for the region is only 51 inches. February 2019 also set records. Knoxville set a new February record of 12.55 inches. Not to be outdone by the Scruffy City, Nashville set a new February record of 13.47 inches. The National Weather Service recorded more than 5 inches of rainfall in Knoxville on February 23rd.
Rainfall like this doesn't just ruin your picnic plans. Tennessee has experienced river flooding, flooded homes and businesses, flooded roadways, landslides, sinkholes, and potholes. Governor Bill Lee has requested federal disaster relief assistance for 58 of Tennessee's 95 counties. Roane County Road Superintendent Dennis Ferguson estimated that his department's roads suffered more than $3 million in flood-related damage. Multiple state routes were impacted by flooding and landslides, including Interstate 24 in Davidson County. Northshore Drive in Knox County remained closed for more than 2 weeks after the February 23rd flood.
Beyond the severity and extent of weather-related damage to the state's roadways, something else stood out to me. As news organizations, transportation agencies, and even private citizens shared their flood experiences, many of the photos and videos accompanying this information was captured using unmanned aerial systems (UAS, commonly referred to as "drones"). Drone footage showed flooded roads, landslides, submerged vehicles and homes, dams spilling water through floodgates, and more. It's clear that these small, relatively inexpensive devices provide us with a perspective that previously required the use of an airplane or a helicopter.
Many people have used drones to capture a moment, but to those of us in the business of transportation they represent a powerful new tool. Drones can be used to locate, document, and quantify storm damage. In better times, drones have many applications ranging from bridge inspections to construction monitoring to crash reconstruction. Unmanned Aerial Systems were already included in in FHWA's Every Day Counts program, and the real-world examples provided by our recent floods will only provide further evidence of their benefits.
That's all I have for now. With a little luck spring will bring something resembling normal rainfall (and hopefully UT's first appearance in the Final Four). Between now and then, please let me know if there is anything that TTAP can do to help you.
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