Riverhead’s DIY Snow Fence Tool Wins Top Innovation Award in NY
Wafricnews - June 25, 2025
Riverhead, New York — The Riverhead Highway Department has clinched the top prize in a statewide competition for a simple but game-changing invention that makes snow fence removal safer and more efficient.
Riverhead, New York — The Riverhead Highway Department has clinched the top prize in a statewide competition for a simple but game-changing invention that makes snow fence removal safer and more efficient.
The tool, devised by Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski, uses a steel frame and a single wheel to pull fence poles from the ground with minimal effort. Instead of manually yanking each pole—a task that used to be physically demanding and risky—workers now use the lever-style device to pop them out easily.
“I just wanted to make the job easier and safer,” said Zaleski, who spent over a decade pulling poles by hand before welding the first prototype together using a spare golf cart wheel. “I should have patented it,” he joked.
The innovation earned first place in the Build a Better Mousetrap competition, an annual contest organized by the New York State Local Technical Assistance Program Center at Cornell. The program highlights local solutions that improve safety, cut costs, and enhance operations in road maintenance and public works.
Snow fencing is a crucial part of keeping roads passable during winter, especially near open fields where snow drifts can become hazardous. Riverhead’s crews install and remove about three miles of fence each year — and thanks to Zaleski’s device, they can now do it faster and without injury.
The department was praised for its “exemplary ingenuity,” with competition organizers noting the tool’s role in improving safety and boosting productivity. As New York’s winner, the device will now compete at the national level in a showcase organized by the Federal Highway Administration.
“It’s simple, it works, and no one gets hurt anymore,” Zaleski said. “The crew loves it — and I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves.”
By Wafricnews Desk.
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