How Sisk / Sorensen Joint Venture streamlined earthworks on Ireland’s Adare Bypass with Propeller

Surveys that used to take a week now take a day

On the Adare Bypass project, surveying progress with traditional GPS would have taken one engineer a full week, or a team of surveyors an entire day to complete a full site survey. Processing the data added even more delays. Weekly surveys simply weren’t realistic.

With Propeller, the Sisk / Sorensen Joint Venture (JV) now flies in sections, stitches them into a composite survey, and has a full 7.5km site model ready within 24 hours. That speed makes weekly tracking not just possible, but practical.

It’s the speed and accuracy of the platform that stand out. We can export quantity takeoffs directly, check progress against design, and share the outputs without needing a big survey team.” — John Hennessy, Earthworks Manager.

Leaner teams, bigger impact

By moving to Propeller, Sisk / Sorensen avoided the need to add two full-time surveyors and a CAD technician. Instead, a single person can now complete a site survey in around six hours.

That shift frees up engineering resources and ensures the whole team (earthworks, structures, design) has the same up-to-date, visual data.

Earthworks team: Tracks cut/fill volumes, manages stockpiles, and verifies haul balance along the route

Structures team: Plans crane pads and heavy delivery routes with accurate cross sections

Design team: Overlays CAD files, checks alignment, and validates design without stepping foot on site

Bringing design to life on the map

Overlaying design files directly onto Propeller’s 3D site model gives the JV instant visual confirmation that work is progressing as planned. Teams can see how current ground levels compare to design, check tolerances, and identify areas needing adjustment before they become rework. That clarity keeps communication tight between field and design teams—and the project moving forward confidently.

Balancing cut and fill in real time

The bypass runs on a repeating cut/fill pattern: cut, fill, cut, fill, cut, fill. Keeping that balanced is critical for efficiency. Propeller makes it possible.

With bi-weekly flights (soon moving to weekly), the JV calculates mass haul volumes with precision, ensuring machines are allocated correctly and material is moved efficiently.

The result: less idle time, lower costs, and fewer surprises.

The Propeller tools that power Sorensen SISK’s project

Composite surveys

Problem it solves: Corridor projects are too long to survey in one go

What it does: Stitches sectional flights into one seamless site model

How it helps: Provides a holistic 7.5km view while still capturing in manageable chunks

Cut/fill & mass haul measurements

Problem it solves: Hard to balance material movement across alternating segments

What it does: Calculates volumes with visual context

How it helps: Keeps earthworks in balance and machines working where they’re needed most

Quarry & stockpile management

Problem it solves: Difficult to track onsite materials consistently

What it does: Measures quarry and stockpile volumes directly in the platform

How it helps: Improves planning and validates imports/exports of material

Haul road mapping

Problem it solves: Inefficient traffic flow increases idle time

What it does: Maps haul roads across the bypass

How it helps: Ensures machines move efficiently and safely, reducing bottlenecks

Ortho exports & CAD interoperability

Problem it solves: Disconnect between survey data and design tools

What it does: Exports orthophotos and topographic models into CAD

How it helps: Allows the design team to validate alignment and spot issues without site visits

Cross sections & area measurements

Problem it solves: Temporary works like crane pads require precise data

What it does: Generates accurate cross sections and areas

How it helps: Structures team plans lifts and deliveries with confidence

Reporting & sharing tools

Problem it solves: Manual reporting takes time and limits visibility

What it does: Creates clear, visual progress reports in minutes

How it helps: Keeps internal teams aligned and ensures clients get regular, accurate updates

Propeller Platform on mobile

Problem it solves: Field teams need quick, reliable site context

What it does: Propeller Mobile brings full site access to mobile devices

How it helps: Site managers can plan and navigate confidently in the field without relying on surveyors or machine control

Export tools & platform integration

Problem it solves: Siloed workflows across tools

What it does: Exports data layers, annotations, and visuals into CAD, SketchUp, and more

How it helps: Makes it easy to share up-to-date visuals for reporting, bids, or client updates without extra rework

Data they can trust and prove

Propeller’s accuracy has been benchmarked against RTK GPS surveys with minimal differences recorded. The added detail and visual context give Sorensen SISK confidence in every decision.

It’s accurate, visual, and fast. It lets us run a leaner team, save on survey costs, and keep the project moving.” — John Hennessy, Earthworks Manager.

A final word on the matter

I think drone surveying with Propeller will become the norm for all earthworks-led projects in Ireland. It just makes sense. We’ll be using Propeller on all large-scale earthworks project going forward.” — John Hennessy, Earthworks Manager.