The highways sector is entering a new era of digital delivery and championing that transformation is Highways Drone Services (HDS) alongside industry-leading construction and infrastructure service provider, Kier.
The specialist aerial inspection company, HDS, has secured its third major industry award nomination, being named as a finalist in the 2026 Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) Awards’ Technology and Digital Transformation category.
This nomination recognises the pioneering collaboration between Kier, Birmingham City Council, and Highways Drone Services on the ‘Transforming Electrical Inspections across Birmingham Highways’ project, which has successfully turned drone inspections from a trial concept into full operational delivery on the Birmingham highways contract.
Leading the way in digital highways delivery
Kier are the main contractor on the Birmingham Highways Maintenance Contract working in collaboration with their client, Birmingham City Council, to deliver essential highways maintenance services across the city, including monitoring and maintaining over 92,000 streetlights.
The Birmingham Highways Maintenance Contract sought innovative solutions to address the challenges associated with street lighting inspections, such as: traffic management and permit requirements, limiting public impact, and reducing the need for operational Working at Height. HDS were introduced to the contract to trial drone-led inspections on the network. Over a 10-day period, 13,248 streetlights were successfully inspected – introducing a safer and sustainable alternative to traditional high-risk inspection methods.
Since the trial, the contract has adopted the usage of drones as part of business-as-usual delivery; exemplifying the genuine benefits of embracing digital solutions to address frontline challenges.
Rather than treating drone inspections as a standalone innovation exercise, the contract has integrated aerial inspections into live operational workflows, asset management processes and long-term maintenance planning. This approach has allowed the business to achieve all it set out to do by reducing operational risk, minimising disruption to the public and improve the quality and consistency of infrastructure data across the network.
A project that changed the conversation
What makes this project stand out is not just the use of drones, but the scale, consistency, and integration of the data being delivered directly into local authority asset management systems.
The results were significant:
- 93.5% reduction in carbon emissions
- 100% elimination of live-lane working and working at height
- Fivefold increase in inspection speed
- High-definition digital asset records created for every column inspected
- Reduced traffic management and disruption for the public
The project demonstrated that drone inspections are no longer an experimental solution. They are now capable of supporting large-scale, business-as-usual infrastructure operations.
Building momentum through industry recognition
In 2025, HDS and Kier received a Highly Commended recognition at the annual Highways Awards in the “Best Use of New Technology” category for their successful collaboration on the drone street lighting inspections across Birmingham.
The partnership was also recognised at the HEA Awards, where the project received a Highly Commended in the HEA &HEMSA Safety Initiative category for improving safety in street lighting inspections through drone technology.
From proof of concept to industry delivery
Through high-volume inspections, repeatable workflows and digital integration, the partnership has shown how drone operations can be safely embedded into major highways contracts at scale.
The Birmingham project became a clear example of how aerial inspections can improve safety, reduce environmental impact and provide better long-term asset intelligence simultaneously.
Marc Hobbins, Director of Highways Drone Services, said:
“Reaching our third major award nomination is a proud moment for the entire HDS team. It validates our ‘Safety through Innovation’ philosophy and proves that drones are no longer just gadgets, they are essential tools for a sustainable highways network.”
“By creating a ‘Golden Thread’ of digital information, we are helping local authorities move from reactive maintenance toward predictive maintenance, improving resilience and delivering better long-term value.”
Ian Davies, General Manager at Kier Infrastructure, said:
“This project was established with operational sustainability in mind. By shifting to data-led maintenance, we have delivered better value for money and improved the consistency of asset records.”
“Using HDS allowed us to remove traffic management and road closures from many inspections, reducing disruption, noise and impact on local communities.”
The industry is moving toward ‘Naturally Digital’
One of the strongest messages emerging from the nomination is that digital delivery is no longer a standalone capability.
It is becoming part of everyday highways operations.
Ian Davies believes future success in highways delivery will depend on adaptable thinking, analytical skills and the ability to integrate specialist technical expertise into operational environments.
He added:
“The sector must move toward a ‘Naturally Digital’ ambition, where digital tools are embedded into everyday delivery rather than treated as something separate.”
That shift is already visible through projects this, where using drone technology has helped gather better data, make faster decisions and maintain infrastructure more efficiently.
A Defining Moment for Highways Drone Services and Kier
Together, the partnership between HDS and Kier is helping redefine how asset inspections are carried out across the UK, proving that innovation in infrastructure is about delivering practical operational improvements that make networks safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
The project’s collaborative success has been recognised with three industry award nominations and has so far provided measurable efficiencies and sustainable improvements for asset inspection activities.
HDS and Kier are not only talking about the future of highways maintenance…
They are already delivering it.
Explore more: Visit our Local Authorities section for the latest updates on local authority procurement, frameworks, funding, and regional road maintenance.
