Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recognized PennDOT employees with Innovation Awards for creating efficiencies and implementing best practices at a ceremony this month. Two team members from PennDOT’s District 11, which represents Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties, were among the honorees.
“Coming from a variety of different perspectives and backgrounds, PennDOT’s workforce of nearly 12,000 is uniquely equipped to meet the needs of an industry that changes every day,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “These awards honor PennDOT’s most creative thinkers, who go out every day and find innovative ways to meet the challenge head-on.”
The annual Innovation Awards Ceremony recognizes some of the best and most innovative ideas cultivated and implemented by PennDOT employees across the Department. The ceremony honors employees who looked at the work they were doing, the processes, systems and tools they were using, and found ways to improve the quality, safety and value of the products and services PennDOT provides. Each employee receives a custom award that represents PennDOT's appreciation for their dedication and commitment to efficient and effective operations at all levels of the organization.
Carroll and other department executives honored winners Scott Jones, Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager and Jeff McKinney, Welder for Lawrence County. Jones and McKinney were recognized for their Beaver Cage innovation.
Lawrence County faced an ongoing issue with local wildlife impacting drainage, specifically beavers routinely building dams at the end of outlet pipes on multiple state routes. After learning that beavers are a big problem in Canada and that they found success with the use of beaver cages, staff developed some potential designs and proceeded with a few months of fabrication trials, which resulted in the first cage prototype. To ensure extended cage durability in the water, a powder coating was added at a local ceramic shop. The final cost to fabricate the beaver cage was approximately $500. Since county crews installed the cage nearly two years ago, there have been no issues with roadway flooding or potholes from standing water, and the beavers have relocated elsewhere.
“Our staff’s innovative solutions to unique problems are crucial to maintaining our roads and bridges,” said District 11 Executive Jason Zang. “Thanks to this out-of-the-box idea by Scott and Jeff, the implementation of these cages has allowed valuable time and repair monies be spent on other critical infrastructure needs.”
Drivers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Haney, 412-429-5011 or nhaney@pa.gov
# # #