Preston, Chubbuck delegates discuss needs with board
Delegations from Preston and Chubbuck took the opportunity to convey their thoughts and concerns to members of the Idaho Transportation Board last week in Pocatello during its monthly business and district tour.
Board members toured southeastern Idaho on Wednesday (May 22). In Preston, the board heard concerns over access to U.S. 91 and safety on Idaho 36. A curve near an intersection on the highway north of Preston limits motorists’ sight distance when they enter the highway.
In Chubbuck, the mayor expressed appreciation for the Interstate 86/15 interchange under construction at Chubbuck. It will be the first “diverging diamond” design built in Idaho. He also requested a new interchange on I-15 at Syphon Road, believing that would promote economic development for the region.
Other board discussion
Public transportation update
The board considered a report about public transportation issues in the region when it convened for its monthly business meeting Thursday. There were 467,322 public transportation boardings in District 5 in FY12. Although that was a 6.7 percent decrease from FY11, Salt Lake Express recorded a 2 percent increase in its intercity boardings.
Planning will continue on the design and construction of Pocatello Regional Transit’s intermodal transit facility that will serve local, regional and state transportation needs. Some of the goals are to expand partnerships and enhance pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
District 5 report
District 5 reported on its performance measures the past year. It submitted 92 percent of the FY13 projects by the due date, falling short of the 100 percent goal. It exceeded the winter mobility goal, achieving a 0.07 storm index, while the goal was 0.3 or less. The district sought to bring 75 percent of its guardrail into compliance with standards and fell just short, achieving 74 percent. It exceeded its public relations goal of having no more than four suspense items, recording just three.
The district was involved in a number of partnerships. It worked with the U.S. Forest Service on fish passage structures, the city of Pocatello on a traffic center and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on signs.
Plans are to construct turn bays throughout the district and center medians in Pocatello and also improve striping as a safety function. Mobility efforts will continue to focus on intelligent winter material application and a Transportation Asset Management Systems winter mobility study. Construction of the Cheyenne underpass and shorter project durations should improve mobility. The district also will continue its focus on developing employees and improving the culture.
Enterprise Technology Services
The board also considered the inaugural Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) report.
ETS provides technology services to ITD, counties, state agencies and other organizations. Technology is changing the way citizens seek government services, obtain information and provide input. More than 10 years ago, all ITD citizen transactions were conducted in person. By 2015, more than half of the public transactions with government are expected to be through a smartphone or electronic tablet.
The ETS plan focuses on its role as the foundational infrastructure, security, application development services, project management, service desk and enterprise architecture. Some of the strategies to obtain the goals of safety, mobility, employee development and implementing innovative business practices include partnerships, efficient and effective operations, enabling informed decisions and providing a secure environment.
Board subcommittee on 129,000-pound truck routes
After a 10-year study allowing gross vehicle weights of up to 129,000 pounds on select state routes, the 2013 Legislature made the 35 pilot project routes permanent. Additional legislation authorized state and local highway jurisdictions to allow 129,000 pounds on designated routes under their respective jurisdictions.
Part of the process to allow higher weight limits on those new routes includes rule-making for the criteria to be used to assess the suitability of nominated roads and for the public participation process.
The board established a subcommittee to address the 129,000-pound issue. The first charge will be to establish the process and propose rules. Then it will consider requests to allow 129,000-pound vehicles on state routes and to make a recommendation to the full board.
Published 5-31-13