UDOT Innovation and Efficiencies Report 2018

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F O E L B A T NTS E T N CO

how do you innovate?

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problem. change. result.

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maintenance

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operations

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permitting

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road trip!

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workshop & summits

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planning

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program financing

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project development technology and innovation

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going forward

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u o y o d Howovate?

Inn

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

W

elcome to the latest edition of the Innovation and Efficiencies Report! Within these pages you will find solutions to everyday challenges UDOT and our partners have overcome.

Take a moment to look through the pages to spur your imagination on how you might solve challenges you are facing.

- Steve Jobs

This collection of innovations and efficiencies is by no means comprehensive.

It is meant to highlight many great accomplishments this past year. Many of these efforts derive from a great culture and willingness to try new ideas. As Peter Drucker noted “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. Please take time to recognize those around you that contribute to our innovative culture in meaningful ways.

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Steve Jobs often said “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Likewise Executive Director Carlos Braceras, introduced the concept of dynamic stability and reminded employees and transportation partners that life is changing faster than we could ever imagine at the last Annual UDOT Conference.

“Much like riding a bicycle, the slower you go the more likely you are to fall off.” The stories shared in this report are to build momentum and add stability to the Department by pushing forward meaningful change.

We are UDOT and we do big Things...

Explore options you’ve never considered before….

Even in the midst of change you have to keep your momentum moving forward”

As you explore these new ideas you might ask yourself: What are you doing today to move forward? How are your efforts adding dynamic stability to your journey? How will your job improve by what you are changing today? Take a look at the Innovation portal where you can learn about our momentum in advancing transportation solutions and share your ideas. Share so that we can learn together. These stories are for you and about you. Let’s keep Utah Moving!

- Carlos Braceras

Nathan Lee Director, Technology and Innovation

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this format encourages the breaking down of the innovation process into easily consumable parts. It allows us to understand the process at a glance.

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“innovation... requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people...�

- Bill Gates

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n o i t a v o Inn ts here. r a t s Repurposing of Batch Plant and Retention Pond Water for Other Usage Previously, sheds would use the water in the retention ponds for making brine to place on the roads. This was done only at sheds that had the brine mixing stations by the pond and only if the pond was clean enough. After an audit was done, it was found that the ponds could not be used to make the water.

Maintenance Stormwater Inspection Tracking Various inspection forms and tracking were used across the state for stormwater tracking to meet the requirements of the EPA audit. We are out of compliance with our EPA audit.

With the Stormwater Program Manager’s help and the station supervisiors, an exception letter was made for UDOT to use excess water from retention ponds to make brine. With their help and the station supervisiors, an exception letter was made for UDOT to use excess water from batch plants, and retention ponds could be utilized for other uses to assist with reducing water waste.

Utilizing Survey 1,2,3 the inspections are the same and result in the data being uploaded directly into UPlan for ease of populating issues and areas of focus. It also identifies when inspections are needed.

Better tracking of inspection reports and identifying areas of focus to mitigate incidents; providing at-a-glance compliance status in Socrata; meeting the requirements from the compliance review.

The result of this exception letter is less water being wasted from batch plants and retention ponds. The sheds learned and are following guidelines set to make sure they can continue to use the water to make brine. The end result to to keep water costs down and reuse what we can to preserve water.

Contact: Statewide Stormwater Manager

Contact: Statewide Stormwater Manager

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Partnered with Local Municipalities to Share

Incident Progress Page Notification

Vactor Decant Facilities

The TOC Control Room has the responsibility of providing timely and accurate information regarding Utah’s transportation system, both publicly and internally. It was difficult to provide real-time situations awareness for UDOT leadership, managers, and boots on the ground individuals. During emergency responses in the past, the Control Room staff would field dozens of calls, repeating information multiple times, which hampered their ability to operative effectively. The TOC needed a tool to be a one stop shop for all incident communications.

UDOT lacks properly-sized vactor decant facilities. Waste can sit on site for a lengthly amount of time as it dries.

Parterships have been formed with local facilities.

Able to better to dispose of the vactor water.

Contact: Statewide Stormwater Manager

The TOC created a new communications tool called the Incident Progress Report (IPR). The report comes in the form of a pushed text message containing a hyperlink. The link can/is also sent by email. The link opens a webpage that contains comprehensive incident information, an interactive map, and CCTV and VMS images. The Control Room staff generate the IPR to a predefined group. Duration of the incident, the amount of delay, nature of the incident, and travel times through the area are all factors in determining if a IPR is needed.

Paint App The paint crew was having issues knowing when a painted area was done and what was done as part of the last job.

Working with the GIS team, they were able to create a Paint Inventory App. This allows for easy tracking of Paint Striping and Messages.

The end result is a comprehensive incident communications tool available on a 24/7 basis from a central information gathering and processing center. The IPR is distributed as a push notification to groups defined specifically by incident type and UDOT Region. Incident communications have been streamlined. Information is brought in and distributed from one central source, as is best practice with national standards (Incident Command System, National Incident Management System).

The shed is able to see what they have done and when it was done last. This helps them track paint life and save money by not repainting areas that have been done recently.

Contact: Station Supervisior 2443

Operations

Contact: TOC Communications Manager

Fleet Innovations & Efficiencies Many of the snowplow trucks are older models with less than optimum technology. Vehicle procurement and usage had areas in need of innovative and more efficient approaches.

UDOT looked at the processes for procuring new snowplows and identified new, innovative trucks. Also looked at the approach to vehicle usage to make things more efficient and have potential cost-cutting impacts.

Newer trucks with GPS tracking are being procured that will increase efficiency and lower emissions; more efficient usage of existing fleet, and utilizing the right-sized vehicle for the work being done.

Contact: Equipment Operations Manager

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Region Congestion Dashboard To facilitate better decisions in project selection, Region 2 partnered with the TOC to develop a dashboard using the HERE data to identify the most congested areas in the Region.

Route segmentation for chokepoints was determined by using the HERE historical map, GoogleMaps, and Waze to identify locations of the most severe congestion outside of the urban interstate system.

Different dashboards were developed to distinguish between larger capacity-type projects and smaller chokepoints. Different performance metrics were tested and implemented to rank congestion between routes.

The tool has proved to be useful beyond project selection such as PI efforts, verifying existing project justification, and whether a project scope is successful. It has allowed the region to identify locations where delay is growing quickly. The dashboard will allow UDOT to show travel speeds before and after a project is complete and construction impacts.

Contact: Region 2 Traffic Operations Engineer

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Wrong-Way Driver Detection Drivers heading the wrong way on roads are difficult to identify quickly and respond to.

TMD and Central T&S are piloting a system that can detect and notify of wrong-way drivers utilizing existing cameras on the roadways.

Response time by Highway Patrol will be reduced due to UDOT’s ability to identify incidents more quickly.

Contact: TOC Communications Manager

Retroreflective Borders on Signal Backplates Traffic signals can be difficult to see in many settings.

The signals group is installing materials on all signals in the state that will make the borders more retroreflective, increasing safety.

GIS-Based Data Collection

”A South Carolina DOT study shows there was a 28.6% reduction in total crashes,

Jersey barrier wasn’t divided between the barrier types that meet NCHRP-350 standards and those that don’t.

a 36.7% reduction in injury crashes, and a 49.6% reduction in late-night / early-morning crashes” Contact: TOC Communications Manager

In order to more effectively leverage limited funding, GIS analysis was used to identify the locations of older and outdated barrier design across the state. Barrier was then prioritized for replacement based on test type, speed limit, and AADT, creating a consistent, statewide metric for managing this Type 2 asset. Part of the process included creating a map that interfaced with other tools to allow Traffic and Safety employees to quickly identify if a barrier was compliant.

Paperless Payables Invoices had to be processed with hard copies and contained a lot of backup documentation.

Simplify the paper trail. In the process of creating PDFs and workflows in AdobeSign to send out invoices to collect coding and signatures.

The accuracy and granularity of the asset inventory was further refinced using an innovative, web-based GIS application. This allowed UDOT staff to do visual insepctions from the safety of their desk, and the results were returned to the data contractor to improve the quality and accuracy of future deliveralbes. We can now determine which barriers are compliant and which are not.

Sped up the working process and provides a way to go paperless.

Contact: Innovation and Implementation Coordinator

Contact: Central Traffic & Safety

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permitting Paperless Permits

Blue Stakes Signal Mapping App

The access permit approval process involved printing hundreds of pages of documentation from different locations for reviewers to comment on prior to approval.

Limited access to data showing what blue stakes have been done.

Various documents are compiled together into a Google Drive folder where reviewers can access them and provide electronic comments on the PDFs. The comments are added together and reviewed for approval.

This will give a detailed map of what has been “blue staked� that all groups can look at and use.

App created that shows the blue stakes that have been done and can be accessed by others.

Contact: Region 2 Preconstruction Engineer (Continued on page 24)

The paperless access permit approval process is saving thousands of pages of paper and ink and speeding up the approval process.

Contact: Permits Manager

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d a Ro ! p i r T 2,700 miles.

92 sheds.

4 weeks. join UDOT’s Own Ryan Bailey as he travels the state in search of influential, yet unsung, innovations.

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“I

n the beginning, I was just trying to get an idea of what kind of innovation was being done at our maintenance sheds,” Ryan Bailey, UDOT Innovation and Implementation Specialist, said.

“My original intent was just to visit a few sheds in Region Two to get a sampling. But the more sheds I visited, it became clear that every shed was doing some innovative stuff.”

“By the time he’d visited every shed,” Carlos Braceras, UDOT Executive Director, said of the tour during his Annual Conference speech, “he’d seen 306 innovations and adaptations our own crews had designed and built to help them do their jobs better, safer and more efficiently,” including hood brackets, weed spraying tools, delineator pullers and plow wing holders.

“I loved seeing how our crews would take stuff that most people would throw away and turn it into something useful,” Ryan said. “And it was funny how often I heard one shed say they innovation they made would only work for them, but then I would see basically the same thing being employed somewhere else.

The interesting thing to Ryan was that most of the employees he talked to at the maintenance sheds didn’t think what they were doing was particularly innovative.

“A lot of people think innovation has to be some big thing, like a landmark discovery or a fantastic invention,” he said. “And while discoveries and inventions can be innovative, most of the time innovation is just figuring out a better way to do our job. And that happens all the time, throughout UDOT.”

“But here’s the main thing I’ll always remember about my tour,” he concluded. “Our people work hard, and they do work most people don’t see or even understand, and they do it with limited budgets and supplies. But they still find ways to get the work done, and done well. To me, that makes them not only innovators, but also pretty heroic.”

But as he talked to the maintenance workers in Region Two, he kept hearing things like, “Well, this works for us but I don’t think it would work anywhere else.” And he wanted to know if that same kind of innovation was happening in other regions. So eventually he traveled more than 2,700 miles to visit 92 sheds throughout the state in a four-week period of time.

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Wing Rack At the end of plowing season, the side plow blades need storing. In the past these plow blades were stored outside in a holding area, normally on the ground.

Many of our sheds noticed the need to find a solution to help keep the blades off the ground and covered to help them last longer.

Barrier Pin Puller When a barrier is hit, it is hard to remove the pins holding the barrier to the concrete to fix the problem.

Many of the sheds created a rack to hang the blades on after they have been cleaned. Some of these racks are held inside so they can be kept out of the weather.

A tool was created that pulls the pins out of barriers. The tool allows easy repair and replacment of the 8-pound pins after a crash.

Contact: Station Supervisor

This is much faster than trying to remove the pins by hand.

Contact: Station Supervisor 2432

Rolling Sign Working Table The Maintenance shed needed a table that could be used anywhere in the shop.

This table has wheels and is made to hold signs that need to be worked on.

A safe, working table that can hold the signs that need to be worked on.

Contact: Station Supervisor 2444

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Evaporation Sprinklers Salt pond capacity. Due to the precipitation over the past few years our ponds have filled and are presenting a capacity issue.

Use Mother Nature to help add capacity to our ponds. Ran sprinklers to increase the evaporation rate and empty the pond for capacity, inspection, and cleaning.

Shoulder Shot Difficult to move gravel from the back of the truck to the shoulder for repair.

Evaporation at salt ponds has increased.

Developed a sleeve that goes on the back of the salter that shoots gravel to the shoulder while they drive and operate the salter.

Contact: Station Supervisor 1435

This tool helps speed up the shoulder repair. It also helps place the gravel right where it needs to go.

Contact: Station Supervisor 1421

Cone Holder for the Vactor Truck No place existed for the traffic cones to be placed during travel, other than on the passanger seat or a trailer the truck couldn’t pull.

A cone holder was created that bolts onto the side of the vactor truck. This prevents the cones from falling off and helps provide an area to store and hold cones on the truck.

Delineator Straightener The crews need a safe and quick way to pull and place delineators.

Device allows a single individual to perform the work. Approaches have included attaching to a loader or a Bobcat. It helps to both remove old and pound in new sections.

These tools help speed up the install and removal of these posts in a safe manner.

Contact: Station Supervisor

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The truck is able to carry the cones in a safe area. This saves the state money from not having to have another vehicle carry the cones and follow the truck.

Contact: Station Supervisor 2427

Lighting System for Brine Pumps The pumps were being left on and burning out.

A lighting system was designed that shows which pumps are on based on color. This has helped to make sure the right pump is on and also that the pumps get turned off after use.

Even in the biggest snowstorm the shed is able to see the lights showing which pump is on so they can turn it off.

Contact: Station Supervisor 2435

Oversized Sign Holder Difficulty in working on oversized signs in a safe environment. Oversized signs were taking days to create.

Oversized sign holder is able to be utilized by 2 individuals allowing for full movement/rotation of the sign.

Oversigned signs are able to be worked on in a much shorter time by a smaller number of individuals in a safer environment.

Contact: Station Supervisor 2444

Undercarriage Truck Washer Tool During the winter months, the sheds need a way to wash out the bottom of trucks where salt builds up and could rust the truck.

The old method of washing these out was by having someone lean over and spray the bottom of the truck. This was done on each side with the water spraying all over the person. During bad storms it became very slippery and hard to get low enough to properly clean out all the areas.

One shed created a tool with wheels that can spray under the trucks. It is easy to move and can get the work done without having the individuals reach under the trucks. The openings on the spray end were cut to make the water come out at different angles. This helps to break up the salt and reach areas that are hard to get to. Another shed made a similar design out of PVC to help make it lightweight. They also made different spraying attachments.

Cable Barrier Holder When a cable barrier is taken out there are three lines that have to go in the same spot when they get replaced. Holding the lines in the correct spot is very difficult and time consuming.

The new tools are helping clean out the undercarriage without having the guys leaning over to wash out the trucks. There have been no slip-and-fall accidents since the new tool was made. The tool helps clean areas the crews can’t reach and helps the trucks last longer.

A cable barrier holder was created for resetting the barrier. While resetting, the cords will stay in place.

The shed is able to fix the cable faster and save the state money.

Contact: Station Supervisor

Contact: Station Supervisor 3424

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Gutter Cleaner for Front Loader During storms and regular clean up, the crews have a difficult time using the loader. Dirt and rocks fall against the gutter and because of the gaps between the teeth of the loader, it can’t pick up the material. Clean up must be done by hand in these cases and can take a long time if there is a lot of debris.

A tool was made to clean out gutters with a front loader. The crew attached some metal pieces that fill the gaps in the teeth and make a flat area to catch all the material in the gutters.

With the new tool attached, the process for cleaning can be done with just the loader. This eliminates the need for a second person to shovel the gutter after the loader has gone by. This speeds up cleaning and helps clear the area faster than before.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4460

Barrier Straightener During hot and cold change the barriers move and bind. They also get moved due to accidents. Straightening barriers can be a difficult task. Previously, this was done using a loader to move each stick of barrier and reset it. This often requires closing lanes of traffic

Automatic Drive through Truck Wash

This involves a simple metal bar and pin application to straighten unpinned segments of precast jersey barrier. Region 3 has created a tool for straightening Barrier, which attaches to a grader that can operate on the opposite side of the barrier on steep slopes, eliminating the need for lane closure.

Drivers must get out of their plows in order to spray their trucks down.

Truck washers were created using a garage door opener from inside the snow plow, eliminating the need to get out of the vehicle.

The barrier on SR-92 gets moved easy and quickly. Often without the need for a lane closure.

Reduced down time to wash vehicle and minimizes the chance for the driver to get wet.

Contact: Station Supervisor 3423

Contact: Station Supervisor 3422

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Metal Fence Tightening Tool After a fence installation there are some points that are not as tight as they could be.

This tool is used to tighten fence by simply creating a bubble and it pulls the line tight.

A tight fence will last longer and this tool makes it possible to tighten loose points without having to redo the entire fence.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4454

Mower Wing Spring When driving on the side of a hill, if the mower deck lifts off the ground, it turns off.

With the addition of a spring, there is pressure on the wing and it stays powered on, saving time.

The driver can keep on mowing because the spring pushes down the blade.

Contact: Station Supervisior 4462

Delineator Base Installation Tool It can be time consuming to install delineators.

Step for Loader The first step on the loader is over 2.5’ from the ground.

The tool is used to place the delineator bases into the ground with just a loader.

The shed made a step extension to climb up.

The shed can place over 100 bases in 2 hours.

Operators are able to get in and out of the loader safely.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4470

Contact: Station Supervisor 3437

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Automated Weed Sprayer When spraying weeds the wind can take the chemicals and make them airborne. Also unable to control the sprayer from inside the truck.

Mack Hood Brackets It can be difficult to work on the engine of the trucks due to the hoods not being able to open up very far.

Created a weed sprayer that can be operated inside the truck and that has attachments that reach directly to the needed spot.

Brackets created that allow the hood to more fully open up.

The shed can spray weeds high and low without losing chemicals to the wind.

Individuals may easily work under the hood of the truck increasing not only efficiency but also safety.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4473

Contact: Station Supervisor 8744

Tool to Straighten Cushions When working on crash cushions there are two holes that have to match up for a pin to go through. These holes are hard to match up and are made of heavy metal.

This tool is used to straighten two holes in a crash cushion. It helps align the holes and corrects the gap in between the barrier.

Asphalt Edger When asphalting slope edges on the shoulder, there was no uniform way to get the edges the same.

The holes come together fast and a pin can be placed in seconds.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4454

A tool was made for finishing an edge of asphalt that makes the line smooth and the edge even.

This tool makes the asphalt slope the same and speeds up the paving process.

Contact: Station Supervisor 4462

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The Planning Group is constantly looking for ways to involve people in the planning process. Addressing concerns with transportation profssionals, activists, and the general public is an important way to build understanding and consensus. How to do so effectively is always a concern.

By adding to the number and content of existing summits and workshops, the group hopes to engage as many interested parties and stakeholders as they can.

p o h s k r o w mmits & Su

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h a t U e Mov mmit su

The inaugural Move Utah Summit brought together key decision makers in Utah’s transportation and health sectors to focus on building active, healthy and connected communities. How our communities are built has a direct impact on our health and how we get around. The Summit provided unique opportunities for attendees to learn what they can do to make a difference in their own communities. The event hosted 362 people from various sectors across the state and elevated discussion stemming from transportation, land-use and health and how active transportation is at the intersection of these issues.

n a i r t pedesmmit su

The 3rd Annual Pedestrian Summit hosted 200 people and addressed Utah’s rising pedestrian fatalities (up 18%) and brought attention to a critical role of accessibility and inclusion play in our transportation system. The Pedestrian Summit was an opportunity for planning, design, health, education, law enforcement and safety officials and advocates to share experiences, opportunities and successes in improving pedestrian experience in our communities. The Pedestrian Summit was designed to foster discussion between presenters and participants on a variety of topics, including safety education programs, planning, engineering, design, health, and enforcement opportunities, among others. UDOT brought in Juliette Rizzo, Ms Wheelchair USA 2005 to be the keynote speaker and she presented very compelling interaction with the summit by conducting inclusionary walk audits and intriguing dialogue about the importance of accessibility in our transportation system.

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r o d i r r al o c h c te ult-mod m orkshop w

Building off the R3 led Tech Corridor Smart Growth workshop in 2017, a follow-up workshop was held in Lehi, called the Technology Corridor Multi-Modal workshop.

Led by our recently hired R3 Planning Manager, UDOT R3, UDOT Planning, UTA, and the city of Lehi leaders (including the mayor), a half day workshop was held. The focus of the workshop was on planning for, building, and implementing other modes of transportation besides SOV cars (with focused efforts on bicycling and walking) Much momentum has been developed with this group, on the importance of multimodal connectivity, integrated transportation and current and future transportation technologies.

This is a truly collaborative effort that will continue forward in 2019, with several/many integrated, multimodal solutions coming forward to the top of the list, and will be planned, designed for, and implemented collaboratively in the near future, stay tuned!

planning

program financing

Corridor Planning Manual of Instruction (MOI)

JHC Adminstrative Efficiency

Corridor Planning was being done in a wide variety of ways. There was minimal consistency or direction regarding how to approach. There was a need to give individuals direction but also flexibility in the process.

UDOT performing all of the administrative duties for the Joint Highway Committee.

Utah League of Cities and Towns & Utah Associations of Counties will perform administrative duties for the Joint Highway Committee.

This MOI links the planning, environmental, and project implementation processes so corridor planning can better define a full range of opportunities, improve project definition, better integrate alternative modes and enhance collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders.

UDOT staff will be able to use the time spent on Joint Highway Committee administrative duties on UDOT assignments.

Contact: Local Government Programs Engineer

The result is a flexible process that can be used in a variety of ways but follows an overall defined workflow. A screening process has been included that has been used by UDOT on 12 corridors.

FTA Grant Management Grant data reported by contract, not by grant.

Being able to track and look at the grants and see how the funds are coming in by contracts. On Excel sheet, and look at where it was.

Closer to real-time reporting of grant expenditure status Information is now on Socrata and also through Finet system in a live-time format. Able to graph the information and see if funds are being used or coded incorrectly. Another tool to be more efficient in processing grants.

Innovative Funding Sources A need always exists to find additional funding sources to meet the transportation needs of the state. UDOT is consistently looking for additional sources outside of the state.

Contact: DOT Engineer Services, DOT Programmng/Public Transit

The UDOT Planning Division submitted applications for a $15 million TIGER grant for the Baker Canyon and Dog Valley Climbing Lanes and $25 million under INFRA for the Northwest Quandrant Freight Mobility Project. The Northwest Quadrant Freight Mobility Project also included more than $9 million in private sector funding.

STIP Development Process The Program/Portfolio Mangers are required to create their 3-year plan of projects. They are given a budget to use to program projects. It can be difficult to visualize the programs.

Both of these projects were originally planned to be funded using TIF funds and because of the awarded grant money, these funds were able to be reallocated to other projects

The 360 screen has been created and allows for Program Managers to more easily see their program and plan for the future.

Better decisions can be made by the Program Managers to better deliver their programs by having information easily available.

Contact: Statewide STIP Coordinator

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Program Finance Procedure Manual

Electronic Invoicing

Step-by-step procedures are not written down.

New hires write down their own instructions as they learn which results in inconsistencies and confusion.

Consultants submitted paper copies of invoices for payment. This lended to invoices being lost in the process. A status tracking system didn’t exist and there wasn’t an automated way to check the invoices against the contracts. Consultants had to contact the PM or Comptroller office for a status update of their invoice

Instructions for each procedure are being worked on as a team to create a step-by-step guide for all funding actions. This manual will be located in Google Docs for easy updating.

Electronic Invoicing was incorporated into the CMS system. This pre-populated the billing rates and other critical information into the billing system eliminating the need to double check amounts. The system was also developed to allow for tracking of the invoice through the review and payment process.

New hires as well as highly-trained staff have a resource manual for up-to-date information on funding and step-by-step procedures.

Contact: Financial Manager

project development

Elimination of additional checks due to the system automatically checking data elements.

This is saving significant time and eliminating the need for a second reviewer on certain contracts.

Reviewing of invoices can be reassigned to another individual seemlessly and invoices are being paid more quickly.

Demand-Driven Mobility Management (D2M2) Traffic Engineers set limitations for construction work based on historical data. The uncertainty leads these engineers to be conservatively narrow on the work windows allowed. These narrow work windows reduce efficiency and can lead to longer project durations. It can also be difficult to inform the public of real travel times through work zones. This innovation be an important mechanism for addressing public concerns of perceived delays through work zones.

The status can be checked in the system instead of having to contact individuals.

Contact: State Program/Project Managment Engineer

Volumetric Mixer

D2M2 allows project crews to assess travel delay in real time and potentially allow a broader work window for contractors. This could allow for closing lanes earlier during night work operations.

This can lead to reduced duration of construction impacts due to greater efficiency for the contractor without increasing delay to the public.

Challenges in placing concrete in remote locations, small quantities and small quantity placements of High Performance Concrete (HPC).

A volumetric concrete mixer is a mixer mounted on a truck or trailer that contains separate compartments for sand, stone, cement, and water.

Materials are mixed on a job site to produce the exact amount of concrete needed. The certification and inspection program qualifies them for use on UDOT projects.

By monitoring traffic performance on workzone, an extra 27.5 working hours or 12.5% bonus time was awarded to the contractor without significantly impacting traffic when closing lanes early on I-15. The RE and Contractor reporting the following benefits to the project: Better quality, setup/ tear down activities started on time, less pressure and fewer mistakes, and low traffic impact when closing lanes early. This approach was used on a project in Region 1 on I-15: Centerville to Ogden Slab replacement project.

Volumetric Mixers are calibrated and certified. This helps promote their use for remote concrete placement, short quantity placement, and HPC placements. One realized benefit was the use of HPC for manholes using a Volumetric Mixer, which in turn eliminated the need for metal plates on the roadway.

Contact: Materials and Pavement Director

Contact: Project Controls Engineer

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Using Google appointments for Technician IAs The technicians were having a hard time finding a time to do their testing.

Technology & Innovations Google Earth for AADT Map

Google calendar has the ability to create a block of appointments so technicians can set up their IA tests online.

Updating the Average Annual Daily Traffic data is a time-consuming, complex process. The rising costs of licensing for the program to convert the files to a usable format were becoming major roadblocks.

The technician will get an e-mail link to the appointment page where they can see the upcoming opportunities for IA testing. They can select one and have the appointment added to their Google calendar. This has helped the group keep current on their testing and find times that work best for their schedules.

The GIS group recreated the Google Earth file of all the AADT data, which provides an easier way to upload the data each year.

The data is accessible to designers and the public and is easy to manage and update, and this work can be accomplished in-house without using expensive third-party software.

Contact: Region Materials Manager

Contact: System Planning and Programming Recycling of Concrete Tubes The materials lab was throwing away hundreds of cylinder tubes each year. These tubes hold the concrete that is tested. Each one of these tubes is used and can’t be used again and must be thrown away. Another problem they were having was disposing of excess material. They would take this material and leave it in a section of the yard to dry and then take it to the dump.

LED Lighting Upgrades Lighting in buildings was not as efficient as it could be.

Working with Rocky Mt. Power to install LED lighting upgrades at UDOT facilities using the WattSmart Small Business Direct grant.

The crew brainstormed ways to make the process easier and faster while still saving the state money on dumping fees. They found that a recycle bin was on site and being used to recycle paper and plastic. They asked the recycling company if they could add their plastic cylinders to the bin and were given approval. For the second problem, they contacted a company that recycles old waste. They were given a tub for the waste and the company will remove the waste when the tub is full.

Electricity usage has decreased.

Contact: Maintenance Programs and Contracts Manager Pole Cameras Culvert inspections can be very difficult due to the close quarters and limited ability to see inside them.

Procured culvert inspection cameras (pole mounted).

They are able to make a huge impact on trash removal and are making a green impact. This idea and finished product saves the state in time and money. For the second issue, they are able to keep the material contained and dispose of it safely.

Provides for efficient inspection of culverts.

and

safe

Contact: Maintenance Programs and Contracts Manager UltraGuard Steel-median box beams can be difficult to see when going up a canyon.

Applied UltraGuard waterborne paint with a high-index bead.

Contact: Materials Lab Manager

Significantly reduced vehicular hits.

Contact: UDOT Maintenance Methods Engineer

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going forward!

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hank you for reading the Innovation & Efficiencies report! We hope that you enjoyed the information and that you’ve found inspiration to make changes in the areas where you work. By sharing what we’ve experienced, we can improve the Department faster and meet the vision of our former Deputy Director, Shane Marshall when he encouraged:

“Even a small change can have an impact on where we’re headed. We need to build on these little things so that we can tackle the future challenges as they come at us.”

If you have an innovation you think others could benefit from, please let us know through the idea portal or by sending an email to ideas@utah.gov.

Patrick Cowley Innovations and Implementation Manager

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welcome to 2019. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.�

- Vincent Van Gogh 30