Innovation Idea Award – LHTAC

2023 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition Winners

Matthew Syphus — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:40:24 +0000

LHTAC has announced winners in the Pioneer and Innovative Idea Categories.

Pioneer – John McCracken, West Point Highway District, Aerosol Tack Applicator
Innovative Idea – City of Nampa, Name That Snowplow

Aerosol Tack Applicator

John McCracken of the West Point Highway District saw how inefficient it was to patch asphalt roads. He developed a all-in-one system that uses an air compressor to blow out debris, spray tack, and clean the lines. This idea has the potential to save significant time, improve the performance of patches with a better application of tack, and increase safety by reducing the time crews are on the road. Check out John’s video to see how his invention works.

Name That Snowplow

The City of Nampa had an idea to engage with local elementary students with their winter operations and bring a little fun to the doldrums of the season. They held a competition to name their snowplows. With a little seeding for name ideas, the following winners were chosen:

Kindergarten: Plowy McPlowface
1st: Lightning McClean
2nd: Frosty the Snowplow
3rd: Baby Snowda
4th: Darth Blader
5th: Fast and Flurryous

The city teamed up with its GIS department to provide a live tracking map of the plows, allowing residents to see the newly-named plows in action.

The winners will be presented a trophy at their relevant association’s annual conference. Winners will also receive a free class through the T2 Center.

LHTAC will also submit winning entries to the national Build a Better Mousetrap competition.

Independent Highway District Awarded at National Level

webmaster — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 21:20:48 +0000

FHWA Local Aid Support just announced their 2021 Build a Better Mousetrap Award Recipients and our own Independent Highway District was recognized for the Pioneer Award.

Congratulations!
Pioneer Award (A locally relevant product/tool that is among the first to solve a maintenance problem with a home-grown solution.)

Winner: Independent Highway District, Idaho
Innovation: “Recessed Thermoplastic Markers”
Description: The Independent Highway District developed a process to extend the life of the centerline markings to increase safety for residents using a major roadway in the community.

Check out the video below highlighting their innovative solution.

FHWA Local Aid Support Announces 2021 Build a Better Mousetrap Award Recipients

July 21, 2021 Announcement

The Federal Highway Administration’s Local Aid Support team today announced the 2021 recipients of the Build a Better Mousetrap awards. Each year, FHWA recognizes and celebrates local public agencies who pioneer innovations that improve transportation performance. Previous winners have been recognized for a range of innovations that save time and money while improving safety and customer service in their communities.

FHWA is recognizing this year’s award recipients in the categories of Innovative Project; Smart Transformation; Bold Steps; and, Pioneer. The winners were announced during the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association Virtual Summer Conference.

Congratulations to all the recipients for each category.

Here is a summary:

Innovative Project Award
Any solution that addresses any or all phases of the ‘project’ lifecycle – Planning, Design/Engineering, Construction, Operations and Maintenance. This project introduces new ideas, is locally relevant, original, and creative in thinking.

Winner: Jones County, Iowa
Innovation: “Hopper”
Description: Jones County developed a Hopper to improve routine maintenance of shoulders along paved roads.

Bold Steps Award
A locally relevant high-risk project or process showing a break-through solution with demonstrated high-reward.

Winner: Illinois Tollway
Innovation: “Roadway Electric Portable Training System”
Description: The Illinois Tollway developed a portable Roadway Electric System that models actual electric equipment along the tollway system to improve safety for workers and for tollway users.

Smart Transformation Award
A locally relevant significant change in any transportation activity or process that is SMART “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound” in nature that results in improved efficiencies.

Winner: Seminole County, Florida
Innovation: “Mobile Applications for ADA Inspections”
Description: Seminole County developed a combination of mobile applications to improve accessibility according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Pioneer Award
A locally relevant product/tool that is among the first to solve a maintenance problem with a home-grown solution.

The Federal Highway Administration Local Aid Support team supports workforce development and technology deployments within Local, Tribal, and Federal Land Management Agency transportation networks. Further information can be found at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/clas/.

ACHD, Traffic Dashboard

webmaster — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 16:26:28 +0000

Another great 2020 Innovation Idea Award Submission.

Problem Statement:	Ada County in the State of Idaho is a fast-growing urban setting. Ada County roads are busy places, and continue to get busier. Not just for drivers trying to get to their locations, but for utility and road maintenance crews as well. Everyday agencies outside of Ada County Highway District (ACHD) are working above and below the road surfaces to maintain critical infrastructure to Ada County citizens, routine maintenance is scheduled, and traffic accidents occur. Over the years multiple technologies have been put in place to help drivers navigate Ada County roads, but for various technological reasons having all that data in one place has proven elusive. Presently there are two applications that users go to that provide traffic and incident data to users of Ada County roads: RITA and a site that displays Traffic Cameras as well as other data found on the ACHD internet site. This site is unbranded, is difficult to navigate and runs on an older unsecure http platform. Due to updates in technology, licensing issues and incompatibility issues the platforms display using old dated services or does not have all the data in one place.
Summary of Solution:	Recent updates to ACHD’s GIS infrastructure and IT’s database resources allowed two members of ACHD’s IT Department to bring together technologies that have been developing independently for many years. No additional funding was required to build the dashboard or the mapping application. Here are the technologies that are now available in the ACHD Traffic Dashboard and the ACHD Traffic App o Data is published to XML files from the ACHD traffic management solution every 3 minutes. It is then consumed by a SQL database and shared to our GIS platform. o The ACHD dashboard is a type of dynamic, graphical user interface which often provides at-a-glance views of Ada County traffic conditions, including Road Work In the Area, traffic cameras, and incidents affecting traffic. o Road Work in the Area (RITA), updated M-F at 4:00 pm, identifies locations of roadwork being performed on ACHD roads. RITA identifies road closures, moving closures and sidewalk closures and is symbolized on current and pending projects. Information in RITA is captured from ACHD’s permitting software and with recent updates to the ACHD GIS platform field inspectors and Traffic Technicians update the data. o Cameras placed at major intersections provide real-time updates to commuters. The database that stores camera images was recently updated to allow for https authentication, providing a more secure user interface. Camera images are updated every 3 minutes. o Road Incidents and Roadwork are reported in real time to ACHD Traffic Department. For many years our Traffic Department has been building an infrastructure to allow reporting via an image of lane closures when a traffic incident occurs on an arterial or collector in Ada County. Using the latitude and longitude information captured from the Traffic Department data points can be generated to geolocate the incident on a map. Using ESRI’s Dashboard technology that data can be transformed into real time information for commuters both on a map and through a list and indicator. o Reader Boards are static locations which display multiple lines of information. When reader boards are updated those updates are reflected in both the Traffic Dashboard and the Traffic App. Today we would like to present the ACHD Traffic Dashboard and ACHD Traffic App. The dashboard and app bring together information from five existing platforms with an easy to use interactive display, updated basemaps, and real time traffic incident data. Data for both sites use the same data, just displayed differently for use across multiple devices. Traffic Dashboard https://achd.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=18d00776a0b84da3b04e6cd89a5a67ed Traffic App https://achd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c4c5ca1e0c94b7bb90b897d1804a883
Labor, Equipment, Materials:	The data used in the Traffic Dashboard and the Traffic App used only resources existing within the ACHD IT infrastructure. No additional licensing was/is required.
Summary of Expenses:	Total hours to generate the Traffic Dashboard and Traffic App: • Clint Burgess – Web and Database Developer, Integrator ~ 30 hours • Gail Jorgenson – GIS Analyst ~ 110 hours • Total combined labor hours total ~ $12,000
Savings/Benefit of this Solution:	There will be no cost to citizens of Ada County to use this application. Any updates or upgrades will be considered a different phase of this project and hours will be billed as such. Updates and maintenance are considered part of regular time on the job.

You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

City of Nampa, Fleet Services Division

webmaster — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 16:23:55 +0000

Another great 2020 Innovation Idea Award Submission.

Problem Statement:	The City of Nampa is honored to nominate the Public Works Department Fleet Services Division for the 2020 Innovation Idea Award. Fleet Services efforts have been instrumental in enhancing customer service, operational productivity, and strategically addressing immediate and long-term needs for the Public Works Department as well as other City departments and divisions. The Fleet Services Division (“Fleet”), led by Superintendent Doug Adams, is responsible for maintaining and repairing one of the most diverse fleets in the state with 591 vehicles and pieces of equipment valued at over $13.5 million. Eleven highly trained staff oversee the maintenance, procurement, strategic planning, and environmental requirements for vehicles including fire apparatus, heavy equipment, police cruisers, police motorcycles, parks machinery, general vehicles and small engines. Doug and the Fleet team provide a high level of customer service to the largest full-service City in Idaho with over twenty City divisions and departments including utilities, streets, parks, police, and fire.
Summary of Solution:	In 2019, Fleet developed a five-year workforce plan to enhance customer service, improve operational efficiency and continue to develop a positive and proactive work culture. The collaborative process recognized a 10% reduction in maintenance and repair costs and set a goal of 80% real-time shop productivity (above industry standards). Fleet, in partnership with Public Works Business Manager Jacob Allen, reinvented the way services are provided by successfully developing and implementing the City’s first Fleet Services Master Plan in 2015. The team prepared a strategic equipment replacement matrix to maximize the use of equipment and minimize maintenance costs and downtime. The plan established a long-term replacement schedule reducing overall costs and setting more uniform budget amounts. These efforts have increased productivity and elevated the overall level of service to the City.
Labor, Equipment, Materials:	Fleet installed a 4-wheel alignment machine and emission control testing equipment in FY19. All staff secured state certified emissions inspector certificates. Fleet streamlined the emissions testing system, conducting 100% of 4-wheel alignments and emissions testing in-house. Rather than outsourcing the vehicles and motorcycles, Fleet staff will absorb the extra hours to complete the work in-house – Increasing police and fire up-fit capacity and adding emission control and alignment capability.
Summary of Expenses:	N/A
Savings/Benefit of this Solution:	Fleet mirrors the City of Nampa’s mission to provide high level customer service productivity and efficiency. Currently, Fleet saves the City $73,000 in outsourced costs annually and has identified the need to expand their facilities to increase operational capacity by adding auto body and paint capabilities.

You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

City of Pocatello, Northgate Interchange Public Private Partnership

webmaster — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 16:17:59 +0000

Another great 2020 Innovation Idea Award Submission.

Problem Statement:	The Northgate Interchange represents an unprecedented partnership between six public and private entities that will increase mobility and economic opportunity along the Interstate 15 corridor. This project has been in the works since 2005 when Pocatello Creek and US-91 north of I-86 was degraded to a Level of Service C/D. The Bannock Transportation Planning Organization’s long range plan predicted the largest growth and traffic change would be in the north part of the Portneuf Valley. The Environmental Assessment was also started in 2005 and approved in 2010. As development continued in the Northgate area, the private developer pledged to move forward with the needed roads as they were imperative to developing the land to make the master plan start to materialize. State code presented challenges to private entities conducting this work and being reimbursed. State actors chose to assume the risk and pledged to plan for the interchange, noting that the project could not be started until 2030 at best. Through communication, innovation, and compromise the six players were able to come to a unique agreement that would empower all players to feel a sense of ownership and contribution. The Northgate Interchange was completed 15 years ahead of what was thought to be possible.
Summary of Solution:	With all of the technological advances of the 21st Century, relationships are still the cornerstone of successful projects. Regardless of how sophisticated our ideas, design, or community need is, if funds are not available for a project it will not happen. The Northgate interchange in Pocatello is a visionary example of the power of innovation, if groups come together with a common goal. What was once a futuristic pipedream of an interchange connecting the outskirts of Chubbuck with Pocatello is now a fully functioning reality thanks to a Public Private Partnership (P3). Through funding provided by: City of Pocatello, City of Chubbuck, Bannock County, Idaho Department of Transportation, Pocatello Development Authority, and Millennial Development, the Northgate Interchange was finished 15 years earlier than masterplans suggested it could be. The project cost was over 12 million dollars and took just over two years to complete. This project was made possible through the innovative cooperation of officials at the State, County and City levels as well as the private sector.
Labor, Equipment, Materials:	This project budget was over 12 million dollars.
Summary of Expenses:	This project budget was over 12 million dollars.
Savings/Benefit of this Solution:	It’s hard to quantify the savings of this approach. The project was completed 10 years earlier than projected without the public private partnership. If we estimate that construction costs go up by 3% annually, we can estimate that just with building material inflation total costs would have been over $16,000,000. With conservative estimates we project the public private partnership saved tax payers and private companies over 4 million dollars.

You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project

webmaster — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:19:39 +0000

Congratulations Jay Davis with Lemhi County as being named a 2020 Innovation Idea Award Nominee.

Problem Statement: In Lemhi County, and numerous other counties and highway districts across the state, we are faced with challenges when doing maintenance activities, repairs, or emergency road and bridge recovery in areas that endangered species are present. Permits and biological assessments are required, these are costly to both the annual budget as well as the amount of time in which these processes take to complete.
There are two main issues that arise from this process. 1. As a rural community, we do not have the staff or the capacity to have in-house permits completed. These are done using outside contract labor and typically cost up to $6,000 or more per project if assistance is unavailable from the US Army Corps of Engineers. We can see up to four or more projects that require the permitting process on an annual basis. 2. On many occasions, in the time it takes to complete the permitting process, receive the assessments, and the “green light” from approximately seven different federal and state agencies (including but not limited to: USACE, USFWS, NOAA, IDFG, DEQ, FEMA), the problem originally identified have changed and most times, worsens to create additional problems, hazards, and costs.

Summary of Solution: The solution to this issue is to develop a “Programmatic” for all maintenance work to be completed in areas where endangered species are present. The programmatic document is a tool that is basically a permitting document for projects under the scope of maintenance and repair. This project would be the first of its kind in the state of Idaho for local jurisdictions, it is precedent-setting. Any new projects would still require the full permitting process.

The permitting process is tedious and slow, there are no current “handbooks” in which the workers on the ground can navigate these projects. This living document would provide an essential tool to ensure the work completed is applying all BMP’s as well as documentation and actions required by state and federal rules and regulations while working in and around areas where endangered species are present (e.g. monitoring, fish counts, turbidity reports, etc.).

This model is already in use by the Forest Service, ITD, and some areas in other states by local jurisdictions. We are adapting those models to fit the needs of our region and ensuring all aspects of the ESA requirements are met. To guarantee success with this model, new training will be in place as well as support and partnerships from state and federal agencies. This solution, we believe will strengthen our partnerships with these regulatory agencies by being proactive in our approach to maintenance work as well as save local, state, and federal taxpayers money.

Materials: Completed Programmatic Manual and additional training programs for staff once completed.

Total Budget: $5,000

Savings/Benefit of the Solution: It is difficult to actually quantify this number for several reasons. There are so many unforeseeable expenses when it comes to keeping roadways open and safe.

In the past, counties and highway departments throughout Idaho will spend an average of $24,000 annually on permitting alone. This value does not quantify the added costs of labor and materials after waiting for approval of permitting documents which typically increase if projects cannot be repaired in a timely manner.

Over a ten-year period, just in permitting alone, that is a cost savings of nearly a quarter of a million dollars just in permitting. While those numbers are promising, we don’t expect this to be a one size fits all solution. We believe this will be a “living document” for many years that requires training, partnerships, and the ability to adapt as programs and projects require.

2020 Innovation Idea Awards Announced

On behalf of the selection committee for the Innovation Idea Award, congratulations to all our 2020 Honorees!

It was our pleasure to see so many outstanding nominations from local highway jurisdictions around the state. The nominations we received illustrated how hard the transportation community is continuously striving to develop both time and cost-saving efficiencies.

Brad Farner, City of Nampa, Street Sweeper
Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project
Independent Highway District, Extending Centerline Marking Life

Brad Farner, City of Nampa Street Divisions, Street Sweeper Innovations

webmaster — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:08:17 +0000

Congratulations Brad Farner and the City of Nampa’s Street Department for being named a 2020 Innovation Idea Award Nominee.

Brad and the Street’s Department implemented three low-cost solutions for ongoing maintenance issues with our street sweepers.

1. The Streets Division had complications with mud and dirt accumulating at the top of the sweepers screened area. To get it clean the operator had to climb up inside the sweeper hopper with a hose to spray it out. This is somewhat difficult to do and has a high risk of slipping and falling. Our crew came up with the idea to install a 2” piping up the side of the sweeper, to the top of the hopper in the area where the mud and direct collected and installed spray nozzles. Now when our crews clean out the area, we attach a hose to the exterior of the sweeper and flush the interior area without having to enter the sweeper. The vendor was so impressed he took pictures and asked questions to provide to the manufacturer for consideration of future design.

2. The Streets Division developed a small cart on wheels for the sweeper hood to set on when removing for maintenance. The hood has to be removed from the carriage of the sweeper 2-3 times a year for maintenance and weighs approximately 600 lbs. This simple innovation reduces the risk for a pulled muscle, back injury etc. Now it is rolled out on wheels instead of manually removing.

3. The City of Nampa crews also installed hanging chains within the hopper to deflect and absorb the impact of rocks and debris, reducing the impact on the interior metal of the hopper. This will help prolong the metal and integrity of the sweeper hopper’s interior.

Cleaning of Sweepers Screened Area – Total costs were approximately $700 per unit.
Small Cart for the Sweeper Hood – Estimated parts cost for cart $100.
Interior Improvements – Estimated cost $50 per sweeper.

2020 Innovation Idea Awards Announced

On behalf of the selection committee for the Innovation Idea Award, congratulations to all our 2020 Honorees!

Brad Farner, City of Nampa, Street Sweeper
Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project
Independent Highway District, Extending Centerline Marking Life

These submissions, along with the runner ups, will be highlighted on our website. You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

Independent Highway District – Extending Centerline Marking Life

webmaster — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:58:12 +0000

Congratulations Independent Highway District as being named a 2020 Innovation Idea Award Nominee.

The District came up with an innovative and cost-effective way to extend centerline marking Life.

The problem was that snowplows in the winter scrape off pavement markings making it difficult for the traveling public to establish their side of the road and for snowplow drivers to establish the center or edge of the road.

The solution was to insert recessed lane striping divots, positioned over the centerline and placed every 40 feet along the alignment of the road. The divots are created by placing 4” x 4” x ¼” steel plates on each side of the centerline on the top of the asphalt mat during the final rolling process. The plates are pressed into the asphalt surface, and then pried out for reuse on the next paving section.

After the paving is completed, the IHD crew installs custom cut 4” x 4” pieces of reflective yellow preformed thermoplastic marking material in the divots along the roadway. The thermoplastic markers sit below the road surface, so when the road is plowed, they do not get scraped off.

After the striping has been worn off, the thermoplastic markings remain visible, providing the traveling public and the IHD plow drivers with a reflective centerline.

These recessed markings also serve as guidelines for post-winter striping, eliminating the time and expense of pre-marking the centerline. The divots remain in place until the road is repaved. The thermoplastic has a life of 5 to 10 years depending upon the weather, quality of adhesion, or other unforeseen issues.

2020 Innovation Idea Awards Announced

On behalf of the selection committee for the Innovation Idea Award, congratulations to all our 2020 Honorees!

Brad Farner, City of Nampa, Street Sweeper
Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project
Independent Highway District, Extending Centerline Marking Life

These submissions, along with the runner ups, will be highlighted on our website. You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

2020 Innovation Idea Awards Announced

webmaster — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 19:29:58 +0000

On behalf of the selection committee for the Innovation Idea Award, congratulations to all our 2020 honorees!

Brad Farner, City of Nampa, Street Sweeper
Jay Davis, Lemhi County, Idaho Programmatic Project
Independent Highway District, Extending Centerline Marking Life

These submissions, along with the runner-ups, will be highlighted on our website. You can find past submissions on our website under the News tab- within the Innovation Idea Award category.

Innovative use of Jaws-of-Life means repairs take minutes instead of hours

webmaster — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 22:13:05 +0000

Arapahoe County, CO, worked with the fire department to see if jaws-of-life would be useful for recovering a crushed culvert end. The road crews now have their own jaws-of-life and are saving costs.

“Designed to pry or cut the steel from mangled automobiles, we’re probably the only government organization to use the Jaws-of-Life to straighten the crushed ends of steel culverts.” Arapahoe County Road and Bridge partnered with Byers Fire Department and together they were able to turn an ingenious idea into a time- and cost-saving reality.

This innovative plan enabled Road and Bridge staff to hydraulically straighten damaged culverts in a fraction of the time and expense it normally takes. Repairing these culverts in a traditional manner required approximately 4-6 hours of labor and cost around $1,000 per culvert. With the Jaws-of-Life, it takes only one employee under 30 minutes to make the repairs and the work can also be completed without disrupting traffic.

So unique was this solution that the Colorado Chapter of the American Public Works Association recognized the Road and Bridge staff for their innovation. And subsequently, the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of the Jaws-of-Life. The equipment has already paid for itself in cost savings with the first dozen repairs and it’s expected that $300,000 in savings will be realized over the life of this equipment.

View Video

Original Article: http://www.co.arapahoe.co.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1407