ITD project featured in AASHTO Earth Day report

A project to restore a central Idaho streambed to its natural channel is among eight initiatives nationwide highlighted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) this week.

The national organization singled out transportation projects that protect or improve the environment. They were part of a notice distributed Wednesday that draws attention to Earth Day Sunday.

“State transportation departments are finding ways to strike a balance between building the highways, bridges and mass transit systems America desperately needs, while being responsible environmental stewards,” said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director. “Earth Day is an excellent time to draw attention to the many state DOT success stories that might otherwise go untold.”

ITD was mentioned for a 2011 project that replaced a culvert on a forest road with a concrete bridge, eliminating bottleneck for migrating fish and other aquatic species from swimming up Five Mile Creek.

The $1.2 million fish-passage project near Lowman replaced a 300-foot long, 72-inch culvert with a 125-foot pre-stressed concrete girder bridge. That opened the entire Five Mile Creek watershed to “a healthier, more balanced ecosystem,” AASHTO explained.

The U.S. Forest Service funded the project.

In addition to the ITD project, AASHTO acknowledged projects in California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Kentucky.

Published 4-20-2012