Why a drone will be flying over Battle Creek next week

Anna Skog
·2 min read

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — Battle Creek residents may see a drone in the sky next week. It will be collecting video of roads where construction is proposed.

The drone will be piloted from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting Friday and ending the next Friday, March 22.

The project is headed by the city’s public works department, which will always have at least one Federal Aviation Administration-licensed pilot and at least one spotter while flying the drone, the city says. Staff will not fly over people or moving vehicles. It asked people not to interfere with the drone.

The areas they plan to fly over are where construction projects like road rehabilitation and chip seal have been proposed. They are as follows:

Road rehabilitation (mill and resurface)

  • Capital Avenue SW – Rebecca Road to Van Buren Street

    • Phase 1 – Van Buren to Dickman Road

    • Phase 2 – Dickman to Columbia Avenue

    • Phase 3 – Columbia to Rebecca

  • City chip seal (Urbandale)

    • Broadway Boulevard – Morgan Avenue to Bedford Road

    • Cedar Avenue North – Morgan to Kellogg Street

    • Kellogg Street – Lamora Avenue to Bedford

    • Mason Avenue North – Morgan to Michigan Avenue

    • Morgan Avenue – Mason Avenue to Bedford

    • Spaulding Avenue West – Mason to Bedford

    • Taylor Avenue – Lamora to Sigel Street

    • Woodlawn Avenue North – Morgan to Michigan

  • Chip seal – state street treatment program

    • Hamblin Avenue – Washington Avenue to Division Street

    • Helmer Road – Gethings Road to Columbia Avenue

    • Kendall Street – Dickman Road (M-96) to Michigan Avenue

    • Territorial Road – Helmer to Capital Avenue SW

  • Road rehabilitation – mill and pave

    • 20th Street – Columbia Avenue to Goguac Street

  • Local road rehabilitation (neighborhood east of Riverside Drive)

    • Cambridge Drive – Morningside Drive to Greenridge Road

    • All of Chapel Hill Drive

    • Doverdale Lane

    • Enlow Court

    • Glencroft Lane

    • Greenridge Road

    • Knollwood Drive

    • Meadow Drive – east of Riverside, to Morningside

    • All of Morningside Drive

    • Timberlane Drive

  • Local road rehabilitation

    • Hickory Lane – West Minges Road to end

    • Wealthy Avenue – West Minges Road to end

In the future, public works staff plans to use the drone to inspect construction projects and sometimes city infrastructure. The photos and videos taken may also be used in marketing and messaging for the city.

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