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The Federal Highway Administration’s Build a Better Mousetrap competition is a national recognition program for local governments and tribal agencies who use innovative solutions to solve transportation problems in their communities. These solutions increase safety, save money and time, and improve the operational efficiency of transportation programs. Each agency or county in Illinois is given the opportunity to submit an innovative idea to their state's Local Technical Assistance Program and Tribal Technical Assistance Program centers and have it evaluated for the competition.
Competition judges, consisting of IDOT staff, looked for original, innovative projects that provide long-term value to the transportation community. Judges ultimately selected Lee County Highway Department’s submission, “Concrete Slab Bridge Deck Drain Insert,” as the overall winner for Illinois.
“It was another great year of innovative ideas, but the Lee County submission took the top prize for good reason,” said Barry Kent, the Illinois Technology Transfer Program manager. “The creation of this bridge deck drain insert demonstrates how a little creativity and teamwork can save our taxpayers money and extend the life of our bridges in Illinois, both very important goals when working to support our public transportation infrastructure.”
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