November/December 2000
The Northwest Transportation Technology Exposition
by: Catherine Nicholas and Clayton Wilcox
What's
a smart snowplow? How do you repair a leaking culvert pipe? Do those
pothole-patching machines really work? Answers to these questions and
more were available at the Pacific Northwest Transportation Technology
Exposition in Moses Lake, Wash., Sept. 12 to 14, 2000. The event was
held at the Grant County Fairgrounds in central Washington. The target
audience included maintenance and engineering personnel from city, county,
and state transportation organizations.
The technology exposition was conceived as a way to showcase new technologies
and give the attendees a chance to see the equipment in action -- more
than just kicking the tires. The large fairgrounds offered plenty of
space to demonstrate the working equipment. The event was also a chance
for local and state departments to showcase some of their homegrown,
innovative ideas in the transportation field.
The
three-day exposition was advertised throughout the Pacific Northwest
in flyers and newsletters, and the conference was well-attended for
a first-time event. More than 600 state and local transportation personnel
attended free, and 60-plus vendors participated in the event. The exposition
was sponsored by the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
Maintenance Office, the Washington State Technology Transfer (WST2)
Center, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Washington
State University (WSU) Office of Conferences and Professional Programs.
The Federal Highway Administration participated in the cost of transporting
equipment from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans),
the University of California at Davis, the Advanced Highway Maintenance
and Construction Technology Research Center, and the Minnesota Department
of Transportation. The WSDOT North Central Region provided extensive
logistical support.
Building
Better Mousetraps
The more than 30 homegrown tools and equipment modifications brought
to the exposition by local agencies or WSDOT were nicknamed "better
mousetraps." The nickname came from the old saying: "Build
a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."
To encourage people to share their "mousetraps," the WST2
Center sponsored a contest to acknowledge the innovative ideas. The
exposition attendees were asked to vote for the best mousetrap.
Errol Rhode and Jim Crawford from WSDOT South Central Region Maintenance
received the most votes and won the first "Crystal Mouse"
award. Their idea was an automated delineator post punch. The post punch
saves time and reduces injuries. Rhode and Crawford took the driving
mechanism from a piece of equipment originally designed to drive fence
posts. The fence post driving connection was replaced with a punch blade.
They also designed a double-knuckle boom to replace the original three-point
hitch. The new boom was designed to attach to a standard snowplow frame
that allows the punch to swivel from the left side of the truck to the
right side. The hydraulic system of the post punch was then tied into
the hydraulics of the snowplow.
The Crystal Mouse trophy, which is about 13 centimeters (5 inches) tall
on a black base, will be presented to Rhode and Crawford by the WST2
Center and the Washington Partnership for Quality Transportation (WPQT)
in mid-December at the WSDOT South Central Region Office in Yakima.
Rhode and Crawford will also each receive a certificate and a custom
ball cap with the Crystal Mouse logo embroidered on it.
The WST2 Center will continue the "Better Mousetraps" in the
center's newsletter by publishing new ideas and awarding certificates
and caps to the inventors.
Some of the other innovative mousetraps demonstrated at the exposition
included simple devices, such as an aluminum sleeve that slips over
fiberglass guideposts for easier installation. Other innovative devices
included a simple handle/lever used to pry off storm grates and a form
for placing asphalt curbs.
Bill Jantz, maintenance technician from the WSDOT Everett area, was
pleased to show off several devices he had designed and built in the
local WSDOT maintenance shop. The rubber bits used on snowplows in western
Washington get beat up when they are stored with the bit on the ground,
so Jantz installed a simple jacking device and four small stands mounted
on the plow, two supporting the moldboard and two back near the attachment
points. These supports eliminate the need for blocking to hold the plow
in position.
Another innovation, developed by Ralph Knutson from the WSDOT Everett
Office, was a device that is used to fill ruts in asphalt pavement.
It is a small screed that attaches to the plow frame on the front of
a truck. A depression along the middle of the screed allows for more
material in the rut path.
WSDOT Olympic Region crews brought some equipment that had been modified
for various maintenance activities. When WSDOT is replacing raised pavement
markers (RPM) on a highway, they use a pickup truck that has been modified
with a seat that is located behind the truck cab, just inches above
the pavement. The operator in the seat, with a touch of a button, can
shoot a blast of air to clean a spot on the roadway and then squirt
the adhesive onto the pavement. The button or reflector is then placed
by hand as the truck travels down the road.
Other modified equipment included a small utility trailer that is used
by a two-person crew when painting crosswalks, stop bars, arrows, and
other pavement markings. The trailer has a paint tank, special stands
that hold the stencils, and a pump and sprayer.
Also showcased at The exposition were a large commercially available
garbage bag trailer that had been modified by WSDOT maintenance crews
and a fully equipped traffic control truck complete with arrow board,
crash cushion, cones, barrels, and signs.
The mousetrap exhibits gave maintenance technicians, supervisors, and
others a chance to see what other crews have developed in response to
their own maintenance needs. Often smaller agencies cannot afford new
or expensive pieces of equipment. This aspect of the exposition offered
many a chance to "think out of the box" and to be encouraged
to design and build their own equipment to realize real cost savings.
Currently, many public agencies offer incentives to their employees
who develop time or money-saving practices.
"I came here thinking I would show my idea and that would be it,"
said one mousetrap builder, "but instead I am leaving with about
six other good ideas that I am going to try when I get back home."
This captures the spirit of the exposition.
Vendor
Exhibits
About 60 vendors from all areas of road building and maintenance such
as striping, signing, culvert repair, road patching, and cold patching
? participated in the event. Outside the vendor hall and spread throughout
the fairgrounds were equipment demonstrations as well as a large display
area for static exhibits. Attendees were asked to sign in upon entering
the exposition and were given a schedule of demonstrations for the three-day
event.
Often, several demonstrations were going on at the same time, and therefore,
most vendors demonstrated their product more than once during the day,
allowing most people who spent the day, or even an afternoon or morning,
a chance to see all of the demonstrations. Many other less formal demonstrations
were also continuously occurring throughout the day.
A very popular demonstration was the Boulder BusterTM from
BDS Inc. of Malta, Mont. This demonstration was conducted near the rodeo
arena and drew large crowds who sat on the bleachers or gathered around
to see large boulders blown into much smaller pieces with propellant
technology from South Africa.
The DitchmasterTM from Ford Manufacturing of Chehalis, Wash.,
showed how easy it is to clean out ditches that have been partially
silted or are full of brush or other debris. The truck-mounted ditch
cleaner uses a rotating auger to shape the ditch and carry the materials
up into the truck bed.
Clark County, Wash., brought their beach cleaner to the exposition.
This device is used to groom sand and to clean up bottles, cups, and
trash off the sand. It is used before volleyball games in parks along
the Columbia River.
Several other unique pieces of equipment were brought to the exposition
by Caltrans and by the Minnesota DOT. The Advanced Highway Maintenance
and Construction Technology Research Center -- a partnership between
the state of California, the University of California at Davis, and
Caltrans -- brought their new Cone ShooterTM Automated Highway
Cone Placement and Retrieval Vehicle. The bright orange truck demonstrated
several times how one operator could place or retrieve a row of cones
while traveling at 16 kilometers per hour (10 miles per hour). Caltrans
brought their RoadviewTM snowplow. Attendees were encouraged
to sit inside the cab and were given a demonstration of the snowplow's
unique features, which include magnetometers that detect magnets that
have been placed in the pavement and forward radar sensors that can
detect obstacles in whiteout conditions. The Minnesota DOT brought the
demonstrator unit for their intelligent snowplow. The truck uses the
Global Positioning System and magnetic tape technologies to determine
its location on the roadway. Attendees sitting in the cab were treated
to a heads-up display and the feel of a rumble strip if they strayed
off course.
FHWA's
Role
FHWA was directly involved in the planning of the program for the exposition,
and FHWA representatives assisted throughout the event. FHWA believes
that this show has much value for local agencies, state maintenance
personnel, and the traveling public. The demonstrations allowed people
from Oregon, Idaho, and Washington to view the latest technology in
maintenance, traffic control operations, and other areas. The exchange
and implementation of innovations can lead directly to safer roads for
the traveling public through better maintenance. Many of these products
offer an increase in safety for maintenance personnel who are picking
up garbage, repairing guardrails, or placing RPMs on the centerline.
FHWA is always seeking safer ways to get the job done.
The
Future
Response to the event was very positive and planning for next year's
exposition is already underway. Changes for future expositions include
broadening the target audience to include traffic control subcontractors
and maintenance specialists from other government agencies, such as
the U.S. Forest Service. After the 2001 exposition, which is planned
for the second week of September, a decision will be made to continue
this show annually or to make it a biennial event.
Catherine
Nicholas is the construction and materials engineer in FHWA's Washington
Division in Olympia, Wash. She recently became involved in the maintenance
side of materials. She has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Iowa
State University, and she is a registered professional engineer in Washington
state.
Clayton
Wilcox is a maintenance and operations superintendent with WSDOT.
He has worked for WSDOT for 31 years and has spent most of that time
in maintenance. He currently spends much of his time looking for better
"mousetraps" and sharing/promoting his findings with others
around the state.
Other Articles in this Issue:
Using Monte Carlo Simulation for Pavement Cost Analysis
ITS Peer-to-Peer Program
Design Evaluation and Model of Attention Demand (DEMAnD): A Tool for In-Vehicle Information System Designers
Studying the Reliability of Bridge Inspection
Ultrasonic Inspection of Bridge Hanger Pins
The Northwest Transportation Technology Exposition
Faster, Easier, Cheaper - Pyrotechnical Anchoring
Practical Research Answers Real-Life Questions
A Nondestructive Impulse Radar Tomography Imaging System for Timber Structures
Strategic Work-Zone Analysis Tools