Untitled Document

Patriotic Gorley, bridge innovation and ongoing research
highlight recent board meeting

Recognition of a patriotic engineer, the addition of a new innovative bridge project to the STIP in FY16, and a discussion of ongoing research efforts highlighted the Idaho Transportation Board's November 18 meeting in Boise.

Special Presentation: Patriotic Employer Award
Representatives from the Department of Defense and Senator Mike Crapo’s Office recognized Bridge Asset Management Engineer Dan Gorley with the Patriotic Employer Award. Toby Griffin nominated his supervisor for the award because of the support Gorley has given him, not only at ITD, but also with his service to the National Guard. Griffin was recently called into active duty.

“Supervisors that I have had at the state such as Dan Gorley, Dan Bryant, and Ken Couch have allowed me to move forward at the state of Idaho Transportation Department,” Griffin said. “Seeking out greater responsibility is what has made me excel in both career fields, and without good supervision and support this would not happen. So, I thank each and every one of you for allowing me to go forth and do good things at the state of Idaho, and with the National Guard.”

According to the military’s website, the “Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support Citizen Warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.”

Griffin also expressed appreciation to Human Resources for its assistance with his activation.

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System
The board also approved adding a new $84,500 project to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to the FY16 Bridge Discretionary Program.

Idaho received an FY15 State Transportation Innovation Council's grant offering technical assistance and funds to support the costs of standardizing innovative practices. Idaho’s grant will be used to host a demonstration workshop on Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System bridge construction for local public agencies.

Research Program
The annual report on ITD’s Research Program was provided.

The program’s budget for FY16 is $1.4 million, with 12 percent from state sources. Federal statutes require that two percent of federal funding for roads and bridges be used for planning and research.

Some of the program’s recent activities were highlighted.

Research on avalanche detection focused on developing a method for real-time avalanche detection in remote locations and improving the response to avalanche events. District 3 is exploring options to implement the findings from Idaho 21, and is also considering collaborating with other states to further develop the avalanche-related technology.

The Leadership/Culture project’s goals are to strengthen leadership capabilities throughout the department and develop a more constructive organizational culture. Remaining activities include conducting a third constructive-culture survey, completing leadership assessments and coaching with supervisors, and conducting a department-wide organizational culture survey.

Some projects currently underway are a field study on a new low-cost approach to monitoring bridge scour, a study of freight movement and needs on the U.S. 95 corridor, evaluation of traffic-detection system performance, and a study of safety impacts of wide pavement markings on two-lane rural highways.

Some of the projects planned in FY16 include a study to improve safety at signalized intersections, an analysis of safety in school zones on two-lane highways, and a study of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for bridge inspections.