PennDOT and The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) have announced that the annual Build a Better Mousetrap competition (BABMT) is now accepting submissions from Pennsylvania municipalities. The BABMT competition is open to municipalities for solutions that employees have designed, built or adapted that innovated maintenance, equipment or processes to better serve Pennsylvania travelers.

Submissions can be anything from the development or modification of tools and equipment to processes that increase safety, reduce costs or improve the efficiency or quality of transportation. Technological innovations and unique use of new tools such as drones, apps, computers, smartphones and tablets are also welcome. In past years, winners have included a widener repurposed from a berming machine, a specialized storage rack for spreaders and a high-pressure undercarriage sprayer.

Following a competitive statewide selection process, the winning entry will be submitted to the national competition to compete for recognition. Winners of the national competition will be announced at the annual Local/Tribal Technical Assistance Program (LTAP/TTAP) national conference. All entries at the national level will be posted on the LTAP/TTAP program website and compiled into an electronic booklet.

The submission deadline is Friday March 1, 2024.

Participant forms can be found at https://gis.penndot.gov/ltap under the News category. Questions about the competition can be directed to Karen Atkinson at 717-763-0930, ext.156, or katkinson@psats.org.