IDAHO NATIONAL
Idaho
Transportation |
What do Idaho citizens think of their transportation system, its funding level and the efforts to build and maintain it? Answers will be revealed and discussed next week when the Idaho Transportation Board considers results from a recent survey funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The board will review survey findings Wednesday at its monthly business meeting in the Auditorium at Headquarters. More than 600 Idaho residents participated in a 2004 Idaho Traveler and Opinion Survey. The phone survey was part of a larger national survey commissioned by FHWA. For the 2004 survey, FHWA provided states with the option of purchasing additional samples to provide data for a state’s specific internal review and analysis. ITD took advantage of that opportunity. On Wednesday, ITD staff members and the survey consultant will report on the second phase of the Idaho Traveler and Opinion Survey. Overall, residents are satisfied with the quality of their transportation system. Compared to other benchmarks, Idahoans are more likely to be “in the middle” as to worth of tax dollars spent to build or maintain transportation infrastructure. Other key findings include:
Other Transportation Board discussion Revenue plan
The board continues to struggle with the department’s dire revenue issues – inflation continues to increase significantly and the fuel tax and registration fees have not changed since 1995. On Wednesday, staff will present funding scenarios for the board to consider as a possible way of addressing revenue concerns. Upon approval, the plan will be forwarded to the governor and Legislature for consideration. Scan tour Under the auspices of FHWA’s International Exchange Program, a scan team of 12 audit and financial management specialists from the federal and state government, the private sector, and academia traveled to Europe to look for transportation best practices. The specialists concentrated on audit stewardship and oversight. Internal Review Manager Carri Rosti participated in the scan tour and will report to the board on the highlights and observations on Thursday. The tour was conducted in cooperation with Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) National Highway Research Cooperative Program and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Motor Carrier Advisory Committee The MCAC will meet with the board on Thursday. Some of the agenda items include an overview on the restructuring of the MCAC, which was completed earlier this year through a governor’s executive order; an update on the GARVEE Program; and a summary of the revenue plan the board is expected to approve on Wednesday. Published 11-10-06 |