Indiana Infrastructure from the Sky
The subject of infrastructure is always a front-and-center issue in our public political discourse, both nationally and locally. The discussions typically take a positive tone when speakers wax nostalgic about public works projects of the past, but turn sharply negative when assessing the current state of our bridges, roads, airports, and other public structures. CBS News recently ran a series on 60 Minutes titled, “Falling Apart: America’s Neglected Infrastructure”. Forbes published a widely-shared infographic describing the “massive cost of America’s crumbling infrastructure”. The Boston Globe posed the question, “which is crumbling faster, America’s infrastructure, or our will to act?”. We, as consumers, constantly hear about “crumbling” bridges, pothole-laden roads, traffic, congestion, etc. There are absolutely roads and bridges that need repair, facilities needing renovation, and so on, but as we generate new ideas on how to improve our infrastructure, we should also consider the work that is currently taking place and that which has already been planned.
Today, we’d like to focus on the positive and provide a breath of fresh aerial. We’d like to show people some of the recently completed construction and improvements that have been made across Indiana. We traversed the entire state of Indiana using drones to capture aerial photos of various components of the state’s infrastructure: roads, bridges, fire stations, courthouses, parks, water treatment facilities, and more.
The various sites we photographed are not “crumbling”. They’re beautiful. Check out some of them below.
Crossroads of America
Background & History
Indiana has been a leader at the maintenance, preservation, construction, and improvement of its well-traversed infrastructure for most of the past two decades. From the Major Moves initiative launched in 2005, to the Next Level Indiana plan that is now underway, Indiana has given special attention to fortifying its infrastructure for more than a decade. Dronegenuity deployed aerial photographers across Indiana who used drones to capture aerial photos of many of the recent projects completed in the Hoosier State. Some the projects we photographed are small, and others are large, but taken together, they provide a comprehensive look at some of the work that is taking place to make travel in Indiana safer and and more enjoyable. The Crossroads of America Infrastructure has been a central issue in Indiana since before the term acquired its present-day significance. The state adopted its motto, “The Crossroads of America” because of Indiana’s importance to travelers crossing the northern United States. In the early days of cross-country travel by horse and carriage, Terre Haute, Indiana, was an important juncture on the National Road between Indianapolis and Vandalia, Illinois. The National Road eventually came to be known as U.S. Highway 40 when it was made a U.S. Highway in 1926, although many locals call the route by its original name to this day. Indiana’s roads and geography are as important today as they have ever been, as it is within a day’s drive of more than 50 percent of the populations of the U.S. and Canada, and is home to more pass-through highways than any state in the U.S.
Major Moves to the Next Level: 2006-2015
In 2005, former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels launched “Major Moves,” an aggressive 10-year transportation plan to significantly improve and expand Indiana’s highway infrastructure. Major Moves was funded with $2.6 billion in revenue from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road. In addition to toll road lease proceeds, INDOT leveraged $71 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to enhance and accelerate several Major Moves projects.
Where Are These Photos From?
We had the pleasure of flying drones all around Indiana to capture these images. Here’s where some of the drone photos were taken:
Lakeland
Mishawaka
New Carlisle
Plymouth
South Bend
Bird’s Eye View
See Indiana from the perspective of one of our flying feathered friends.
How These Photos Were Taken
Dronegenuity offers services for professional aerial drone photography. Wile working on various projects across Indiana, we built up a library of beautiful photos from various parts of the state. We thought we’d share them here so people could see their state from a new perspective. All of these photos were captured using DJI drones. DJI is the leading drone manufacturer,
and their Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Advanced, Phantom 4 Pro, and Mavic Pro drones all offer superior performance, features, and image quality.
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