In July and September, we looked at some past submittals in the Build a Better Mousetrap competition. It’s almost time to kick off the 2021 competition, so let’s get your creative juices flowing by taking a look back at some more past submittals. As is our prerogative, we’ll start with some from Delaware.
There have been a number of variants to utilize a snow plow mount on the front of a truck. The University of Delaware’s Ground Services submitted a “holy cow” example in 2015. Needing a new leaf vacuum, they forewent the trailer, saved some money, and remarkably increased safety and efficiency. On the University grounds, the crews have to navigate some tight areas to remove leaves and other debris, so backing a truck and leaf vacuum trailer is both cumbersome and risky, what with all the foot traffic from 24,000 students and another 4,500 faculty and staff moving about. By mounting the vacuum unit on a platform to connect with the snow plow lift, they shortened the length of the rig, made it more maneuverable, and placed the ground operator in clear sight of the truck operator. Because they didn’t need the trailer, they actually saved money, while creating a better operation.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) didn’t originate the cone deployment safety train, but they certainly adopted it in their own robust way. Searching for a way to deploy cones for lane closures in a safe and effective manner while minimizing worker exposure to traffic and occupational injury, DelDOT staff designed and fabricated two cone trailers in 2018. The trailers are designed to safely position staff to deploy cones from seats with safety belts. Another employee(s), tethered using a safety harness and retractable lanyard on the trailer, passes cones to the seated cone-placement staffer. The trailer is designed such that if there is a sudden stop or jolt, staff is safely contained in the trailer and not able to be thrown from the trailer. In addition, there were six cone deployment trucks developed after the trailers were completed to be considered as a single operation unit versus truck and trailer combination. Our own Sandi Wolfe tried out a cone laydown and pick-up at the 2019 Roadway Management Conference using the cone trailer (yes, video exists). The materials to convert a standard trailer or truck to a cone deployment trailer configuration was approximately $10,000 (the trucks, trailers, and cones would have been purchased anyway) and internal staff made the modifications.
“Waste not, want not” was the theme for the City of Newark in 2019. The back engine of a street sweeper (used for powering the sweeping machine) was no longer working, but the truck front engine, transmission, and chassis were fully functional. The gears are always turning at Newark and they hate to give up early on useful equipment, so they repurposed the street sweeper to a flatbed truck for moving materials to various jobsites and added a brine tank that can be used to pretreat the roadways before winter storms. In addition to the tank, the back of the truck is clad in new electric valves and PVC piping to facilitate the brine application, and emergency lighting was updated. The truck performed exceptionally well when running the brine application rate testing (50 gallons per lane mile at 20 MPH) and as seen in this demonstration run in the maintenance yard. As a bonus outside of snow and ice season, they have a flatbed truck to move materials and equipment. A used flatbed, a water tank, an electric valve, PVC piping, and wood decking totaled $2,795 in materials for the entire project. This creative solution was Delaware’s selected winner in 2019.
Of course, it pains us to say that not every great idea originates in Delaware. Personnel in 
municipalities, counties, DOTs, and other agencies across the country come up with all sorts of great ideas. You might be inspired by their efforts. The Build a Better Mousetrap competition is intended to highlight all kinds of ideas and you can browse through annual catalogs of submittals. It’s a perfect rainy day activity for the crew and you are bound to find an idea to adopt and adapt to your own operations. Chances are, you will then take it to the next level with your own application and that evolution should be shared in the next competition.
For example, Bloomfield (Connecticut) Public Works Department stresses the safety of its employees and was dissatisfied with the scattered nature of traffic control devices (cones, flagger paddles, signage, stands, etc.), which required considerable time to gather up for a given activity and risked not having the correct devices on hand. Using a surplus step van, they consolidated their temporary traffic control equipment in one place, assuring they would have the materials they needed where they needed them (read more in the 2010 catalog).
An earlier version of the cone trailer can be seen in the 2010 catalog. The bed of Bowling Green, Ohio’s existing sign truck was deteriorating and they took the opportunity to create a new one that would carry all their needed supplies and provide a safe work platform for work zone setups. They were so pleased that they ended up converting two more sign trucks, as discussed in the 2010 catalog. Another entry in the same year looked more like what DelDOT created, without the crew safety amenities that DelDOT incorporated; New Albany, Ohio designed their trailer with material consolidation in mind and hadn’t yet gotten to the innovations that provided for more efficient and safe deployment and retrieval of temporary traffic devices. Nonetheless, pretty snazzy.
Borough of Mount Joy/Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) took third place in the national competition in 2013 for their offset snow plow. The Borough has bridge with a four foot sidewalk that needs to be shoveled when it snows. Due to the length (+/- 400 feet), it often takes at least 3 people to shovel and they could not use a snow blower or any other machinery without closing the bridge due to the width of the bridge. Through team brainstorming and ingenuity, the Roadmaster designed a plow that could pivot off the 3-point hitch of a tractor, keeping the snow to the right side. This tool cost less than $450 to complete and saves countless labor hours.
As an honorable mention, while it was never actually submitted, we spotted this simple fix in 2016 – The Truck Valance Panel Holder. We think it was weed-eater string that was placed into service to hold the truck valance panel in place until a proper fix could be scheduled. Okay, this may not be the brain-buster of the century, but it is a pictorial metaphor of public works spirit – you focus on the task at hand and leave the little things until a more opportune time. It may not have been a better mousetrap, but it got the job done so the real job could continue!
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.