AASHTO Journal - Nebraska DOT Holds Seventh Innovation Showcase

The Nebraska Department of Transportation recently hosted its Seventh Annual Innovation Showcase; an event that featured 19 submissions, with just 11 votes separating the first and second-place winners.

[Above photo by Nebraska DOT]

The agency said that its annual “Innovation Showcase” highlights the ingenuity and dedication of Nebraska DOT employees, emphasizing the importance of innovation in enhancing safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in transportation operations.

“With [these] innovation challenges, the groups keep expanding, which means more people are continuing to get involved,” explained Vicki Kramer, director of Nebraska DOT, in a statement.

“They’re talking to their neighbors and friends, asking ‘How do we innovate?’ The conversations and the pride in the organization and the process just keep growing,” she said.

[Editor’s note: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently named Kramer to a two-year term as chair of its Committee on Transportation System Security and Resilience. Kramer was also recently named to the National Operations Center of Excellence Strategic Advisory Council or SAC.]

For 2024, the “Rest Area Open/Closed Sign” received “Innovation of the Year” honors at Nebraska DOT’s competition. Mark Dillon and Ethan Budke from District 6 developed the winning innovation to enhance safety for maintenance workers.

Recognizing the danger maintenance workers face when manually switching “Open/Closed” signs for rest areas, they designed a solution to keep workers away from I-80 traffic and avoid slips, trips, and falls during winter operations. They installed a solar-powered control station to operate a “LANE OPEN/CLOSED” display board, replacing static flip-up signs.

“Not only does this keep our maintenance crews safe, but it also benefits the traveling public by giving them advanced warning the rest area is opened or closed,” explained Budke.

Second place went to Kasey McArthur and Levi Baughman of District 7 for their Adjustable Grader Screed. This innovation provides flexibility when grading asphalt patches, allowing adjustments from 40 inches to 68 inches in width for areas with varying widths.

“Our innovation creates leveled and smoother patches. It saves time by having one piece of equipment that can do multiple jobs, leading to lasting, quality work,” said McArthur.