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!
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
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.