While we wait to hear the winners of this year’s nationwide Build a Better Mousetrap competition, let’s take a look at some of the past submittals, first from Delaware.
Plato (supposedly…who knows?) said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” In 2015, the University of Delaware’s Ground Services needed a better way to experiment with salt brine application on its wider pedestrian pathways and plazas, so they fashioned a solution to mount on the 3-point hitch of their utility tractor. Leveraging the power take off (PTO) to drive a pump and a 12-volt tractor connection for the controller, they mounted a 150-gallon tank, spray bar, and nozzles to a platform and they were set. Grounds Services Manager at the time, Roger Bowman, noted that the setup could be used for other purposes throughout the year, such as fertilizer application, by swapping out the nozzles. This innovation was Delaware’s selected winner in 2015.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) has traffic issues. Their iconic twin suspension bridge spans the Delaware River between New Castle, Delaware and Pennsville, New Jersey and the maintenance team must sidestep more than 80,000 vehicles daily as they maintain the bridge and its eight lanes. They needed an ability to locate temporary cameras at locations all over the facility from a safe platform, so they mounted a self-contained solar powered camera to a high-reaching, telescopic mast on an existing truck mounted attenuator (TMA) to provide a live feed for first responders, traffic engineers, and safety. The feed can be used to deploy first responders to an accident scene, monitor the flow of traffic, and ensure optimal roadway conditions. Using an existing TMA with a variable message sign (VMS) alerts traffic to speed restrictions, roadway conditions, and construction while protecting individuals in a work zone with the attached impact absorbing crash cushion. This unit can be deployed to any site or location in all conditions. DRBA’s submittal was Delaware’s selected winner in 2017.
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has utilized anti-icing and pre-wetting as part of their winter maintenance operations for many years now and motorists have come to understand its value. As such, they are anxious to see anti-icing applications ahead of storms and it is often not obvious on the roadway. In 2018, DelDOT began adding a coloring agent to the brine mix to make it more obvious to motorists, with the added value that it also lets snow plow operators know that the road has been treated so they allow sufficient time for the existing applied material to work prior to being plowed off. While the colorant costs ~$50/gallon, it covers 5,000 gallons of brine and moves their typical brine cost from about $0.11/gallon to about $0.12/gallon. Because the visual application is believed to reduce redundant application or premature re-application, there are actually savings in overall application costs and reduced impact to the environment.
The chlorides we use for winter maintenance does a number on the equipment we use to apply it to roadways, particularly in the nooks and crannies. In 2019, Jeff Kinsler and David Holland with the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) submitted their Salt Spreader Cleaning Manifold as part of the solution. DRBA uses a “V Box” material spreader to apply material to the road surfaces and these require maintenance and adjustment for proper operation and readiness. When annual maintenance is performed, one step in the process is to clean and adjust the conveyer chains. A heated high-pressure washer is used to clean the chains and remove any material and rust. The next step is to apply a protective and lubricating encapsulant specifically designed for conveyer chains. It is crucial to have a clean surface to apply the encapsulant for proper adhesion. The process is a labor intensive and time-consuming task. They designed a manifold to reduce the overall time and fatigue to accomplish the task of properly maintaining the conveyer chains. The design utilizes two different spray patterns spaced at specific intervals. The patterns and spacing are intended to focus the high-pressure water jet into areas of concern. The 25-degree nozzles on the outside provide a focused spray to concentrate on the moving linkages and pins, while the two 40-degree inner nozzles provide a wide spray pattern designed to clear debris and material from the conveyer bars. Approximately 26” of 2” stainless square tubing, 2” stainless flat bar, five ¼” NPT quick couplers, two 25-degree and two 40-degree pressure washer nozzles cost about $100 in materials. This submittal was Delaware’s second placewinner in 2019. Watch as David Holland describes the manifold and demonstrates its use.
Our friends just over the border in Cecil County, Maryland spent a whopping $1.25 to solve a vexing problem. Their street name blades can get a bit long and are often out in the open because of the rural nature of the area at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. They are thus subject to a lot of wind stress, which would bend them and damage hardware on the single mounting to the post. The sign shop folks used a ½” polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe cut into 2” pieces, 3” x 3/8” bolts, nuts, and washers to stabilize the outer edges of the paired signs; problem solved. Robert Padgette was the Sign Shop Supervisor at the time and said, “By fixing the two signs together with PVC, they would be more difficult to move without moving the post. Since implementing the sign stabilizer, the county has not lost a single sign.” While we can’t claim it, this simple sign stabilizer was the winner in the Maryland T2 Center’s competition and placed third in the ational competition in 2016!
So not every great idea originates in Delaware. In fact, personnel in municipalities, counties, DOTs, and other agencies across the country come up with all manner of great ideas. How are you supposed to know about them? Simple. The Build a Better Mousetrap competition is intended to ferret them out for all to see and you can scan through annual catalogs of submittals. It’s a great rainy day activity for the crew and you are bound to find an idea to steal (they don’t mind) and adapt to your own operations. Who knows? You may then take it to the next level with your own application and that evolution should be shared in the next competition.
For example, in Phillips County, Colorado they had a problem with nails, wires, screws, stables, and other metal debris in the roadway, causing flat tires for residents. They mounted a magnetic bar on a piece of equipment such that it hovered a few inches off the roadway. They placed second in the national competition for this idea in 2009.
In the 2010 catalog, you can see how Ottawa County, Ohio procured a used concrete mixing truck to use as a rotary mixer for creating salt brine.
Nazareth Borough, Northampton County (Pennsylvania) took third place in the 2013 national competition by cobbling together brine making totes that would fit in the back of their heavy duty pickups, along with spray bars, solenoid valves, and camlock fittings for about $540 per truck.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) holds an annual Innovation Fair to encourage sharing of new ideas across their operation. Often, dozens of innovations are showcased each year and the creative energy of employees is celebrated to encourage Department-wide adoption and next-generation ideas. Local agencies can do the same kind of thing…and when you do, make sure those innovations make it into our next Build a Better Mousetrap competition.
Winners in the Delaware T2/LTAP Center annual competition receive a prize (this year it was a $100 Visa gift card), but 
more importantly, they are awarded the prestigious trophy to display to all who visit their facility! Our past winners love a gift card or a pair of Stop/Slow flagger paddles, but they all cherish the trophy. So, if you want one of these sitting in your glass case, have a look around your shop and grounds and we think you will find an innovative tool you’ve made or process you’ve developed that has saved money, increased value to road users, and/or increased safety. Make a note of it and look for the 2021 Build a Better Mousetrap competition.
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