Dubbed the “Red Canyon Arches,” the landmarks were recognized in 1925 as the entrance to Utah National Park, now Bryce Canyon National Park.
A century later, the arches still stand.
To preserve and prevent erosion of the iconic landmarks, UDOT has installed sensors and a laser light technology tool – called LiDAR— to create high resolution models of the arches. Drones are used to collect data.
The prevention project, which started in 2019, uses drone footage to capture thousands of 2D photos to turn into 3D recreations of the arches, which LiDAR’s laser beams then scan through and underneath the arches.
Engineers then combine the data to track displacement, rockfall and deformation.
This fall, UDOT will start phase two of the project, where crews will replace and add sensors in the damaged areas.
UDOT says the project began after a large collision in 2019 and other smaller scrapes in recent years damaged the arches and the shotcrete – a concrete mix sprayed onto the surface of the original rock to preserve the arches.
