Innovation Station

About the Innovation Program | Contact Information

UDOT’s Statewide Innovation Program is led through the Research and Innovation Division via UDOT’s larger Technology and Innovation Group. At UDOT, innovation efforts are an essential part of everyone’s job. Many employees are hired and promoted based, in no small part, on their ability to influence innovative outcomes. This page is dedicated to continuing UDOT’s proud tradition of being a world-class leader in the transportation innovations space. Please review this content to learn more about how UDOT continues to invest in a better tomorrow, and how you can accelerate these efforts by actively participating today!

Program Management

Winston Inoway
Innovation and Implementation Program Manager
801-455-3911
winoway@utah.gov

Quinten Klingonsmith
Innovation and Implementation Program Coordinator
801-386-0473
qklingonsmith@utah.gov

UDOT Innovation Process

Click the blueprint for an overview of UDOT’s innovation process.

(click image above for details)

UDOT Innovation Station Videos

What is innovation at UDOT?

This three minute video will get you started!

Get inspired with these brief innovation example videos!

Digitized Customer Feedback Process for IMT Vehicles (4:54min.)
Virtual Heavy Equipment Simulators (4:18min.)
Custom Lock Bolt Puller (3:41min.)
Port of Entry Workstation Efficiency (3:08min.)
Loader Multitool (4:08min.)
Median Barrier Saddle Lift (3:55min.)
Curb Design Collaboration (4:19min.)

Innovation Award Winners

2024 Innovation Awards

Innovation of the Year

Winner – Keeping Utah Beautiful – Litter Collection Application

In recognition of the innovation that advances safety, saves costs, and/or improves public service, the Central Maintenance Division wins the 2024 Innovation of the Year Award for replacing the Adopt-a-Highway program with a new app-driven process that enables community volunteers to effortlessly sign up for a one-time litter pick-up project. Participation has increased, UDOT is saving money, and the roadways are cleaner and safer. UDOT congratulates, Ryan Ferrin, Shawn Lambert, Ed Graves, Christopher Meredith, Jennifer Hall, Camber Wilkey, Cheryl Marz, Karyl Keanaaina, Ashlee Matthews, Josephine Archuleta, Matt Patterson (ESRI), and Adrian Sellers (HDR) for their excellent work. For the full story, read Keeping Utah Beautiful – Litter Collection Application.

Finalists

Region Three: Deeper Hot-In-Place Recycled Asphalt Saves Money and Time
Central Maintenance: Mobile Pavement Marking Data Collection Made Safer
Region One: Composite Quality Organization and Digital Tools Developed for US-89 PDB Project
Region Four: Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane (VRAM) Expected to Prolong Pavement Lifespan

Spark Award for Inventive Innovation

Winner – Region Four Program Tracker Application

In recognition of creativity in developing novel processes, tools, or technologies to solve problems and make improvements, Region Four wins the Spark Award for Inventive Innovation of 2024. They developed an FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) application to automatically provide data from ePM and other sources to Program Management, Design, Environmental, Traffic and Safety, and Public Information groups. Each user group has the information they need to track projects and is less reliant on the program manager to create special reports. Join us in congratulating Braken Davis, Cameron Gay, Kurt Marchant, Jordan Jarrett, Anne Ogden, Rashelle Crowther, Rachel Morris, and Kevin Kitchen. Read Region Four Program Tracker Application for the whole story.

Spark Award Finalists

Region One: Paint Tank Level Indicator Tool Reduces Health Risk for Crew
Motor Carrier: Time of Duty Calculator Saves Time and Improves Quality
Environmental Division: Utah Roadkill Reporter App Helps Guide Mitigation Efforts

Enhance Award for Adaptive Innovation

Winner – Super Capacitors Power Signal and ITS Devices in Challenging Environments

The Enhance award honors ingenuity, adoption, adaptation, or resourceful problem solving using available resources. The Traffic Management Division wins the Enhance Award for Adaptive Innovation of 2024. Tyson Larson, Jayden Smith, Graig Ogden, Troy Torgersen, Catherine Jones, Devin Routson, Chris Smith, Tyler Laing, Craig Wagner (Econolite), and Tracy Cope (Econolite) implemented super capacitor technology to power off-grid ITS devices at night or when there is insufficient solar power. This keeps Utah moving even in challenging locations where traditional batteries do not perform well. To read more, see Super Capacitors Power Signal and ITS Devices in Challenging Environments.

Enhance Award Finalists

Traffic Management Division: Fiber Optic Network Used for Early Detection of Avalanches
Region One: Continuous Flight Auger Piles Are the Right Solution for 5600 S Pedestrian Bridge
Central Materials: Hydrated Lime Test of Extracted HMA Using FTIR

Flow Award for Process Innovation

Winner – Winter Operations Center Provides Situational Awareness and Cost Analysis

The Central Maintenance Division wins the Flow Award for Innovative Process of 2024. This award recognizes the implementation of a new or redesigned process that achieves excellence results. UDOT’s Winter Operations Center allows for real-time management during a storm event and provides accurate information for planning and budget-making. Thanks go to Ben Teran, Corey Unger, Shawn Lambert, Ryan Ferrin, Andrea Moser (BioWest) and, Kevin Wells (BioWest) for a job well done. See Winter Operations Center Provides Situational Awareness and Cost Analysis for details.

Flow Award Finalists

Performance Management: Highway Performance Management System (HPMS) Data Management and Reporting Process Improvements
Risk Management: New Paperless Claim Appeals Process Enhances Transparency and Efficiency
Strategic Technology: Evolution From Road Usage Charge (RUC) 1.0 to RUC 2.0 Saves Money and Time

2023 Innovation Awards

Innovation of the Year

Winner

Wrong Way Driving Project Improves Safety at Freeway Ramps

Finalists

Spark Award for Inventive Innovation

Winner

Pedestrian Crossing App Enhances Accessibility and Safety

Spark Award Finalists

Enhance Award for Adaptive Innovation

Winner

Interstate Lighting Maintenance From The Cloud

Enhance Award Finalists

Flow Award for Process Innovation

Winner

Smart Use of Smartphones Speeds Up and Improves Port of Entry Inspection Process

Flow Award Finalists

2022 Innovation Award Winners

UDOT Innovation of the Year Award – Incident Management Team’s Use of Drones (2:57 video)
Spark Award – Inventive Innovation of 2022 – Saddle Lift Tool for Sign Repair (2:19 video)
Enhance Award – Adaptive Innovation of 2022 – Valve Body Location (2:10 video)
Flow Award for Innovative Process of 2022 – ROW Water Rights Tracking System (2:30 video)

Annual Innovation and Efficiencies Reports (current and previous)

2024 Innovation and Efficiencies Report

Check out some of UDOT’s groundbreaking innovation. The 2024 Innovation and Efficiencies Highlights Report features 16 implemented innovations that save time and money, improve safety, and Keep Utah Moving! Topics include maintenance, data visualization, artificial intelligence, community engagement and advanced air mobility.

For all innovations, visit the Innovation Catalog. See the “Efficiencies Report” tab of the catalog for up-to-date efficiency numbers.

Previous Year Reports

*Reports are now published towards the end of the calendar year and do not receive broad circulation until the next calendar year. As a result, reports are now labeled in the year where they receive broad circulation. The 2020 report was not skipped, rather the 2021 report covers the preceding year which is 2020.

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