Congratulations to Oak Lawn Township and Roseau County for their 2024 Innovation Is Local Awards, earned for their "Belly Scratcher" and "Belly Plow Safety Step" innovations. These projects were submitted by MnLTAP to the Local Road Conference, co-sponsored by NDLTAP and SDLTAP, after winning Minnesota’s Build a Better Mousetrap Competition in 2024 with the Pioneer Award and SMART Transformation Award, respectively.
The Innovation is Local Awards were presented at the 39th Annual Local Road Conference in October 2024 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Entries were judged on several criteria before the conference and recognized in a general session presentation.
Roseau County’s Belly Plow Safety Access Step helps reduce the slip-and-fall hazard for staff members accessing plow trucks in snowy and wet conditions. A Roseau County staff member welded a grip pad onto the upper surface of the belly plow, significantly enhancing the ease of accessing the truck’s cab.
Oak Lawn Township’s Belly Scratcher combats gravel road maintenance challenges in three areas. In winter, gravel roads become glazed-over and icy, and salt/sand won’t stay in the travel lanes. In summer, small washboards develop on roads treated with calcium chloride (used for gravel dust control). Sod also grows on the working edges of gravel roads.
The township’s solution came when one of its maintenance employees built the "Belly Scratcher" in-house for approximately $1,500, and the attachment solved all three issues. In winter, the grooves cut by the scratcher retain salt/sand, keeping it in place on the roads. As a result, salt and sand use dropped by one-third. In summer, the attachment levels rough spots on roads without destroying the calcium chloride. The belly scratcher also breaks up sod clumps after grading.
All organizations are encouraged to submit their innovative solutions to everyday problems that transportation workers encounter year round through Minnesota’s Build a Better Mousetrap Competition. Solutions can range from the development of tools or equipment modifications to processes that increase safety, reduce cost, and improve the efficiency and overall quality of transportation.