CONNECTIONS

IDAHO
ITD HOME
511 TRAVEL SERVICES
IDAHO DMV
ITD NEWS
HIGHWAY SAFETY
IDAHO STATE POLICE


STATE OF IDAHO
NIATT

NATIONAL
AASHTO
AAMVA
AAA of IDAHO
FEDERAL HIGHWAYS
FEDERAL AVIATION
IDAHO STATE POLICE
NHTSA
NTSB
TRB
U.S. DOT

 

Idaho Transportation
Department

Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
E-mail

February 6, 2009

Tales of Olympic proportion

The Idaho Transportation Department is doing more than providing logistical support for the Special Olympics World Winter Games this week. A number of ITD employees are volunteering at event venues and helping with transportation between them. For those of you helping...
Please share your experiences with the ITD community. If possible, please make a note of your most memorable moments, snap a few photos and send them to the Transporter for inclusion in a Special Olympics Scrapbook next week.

Thanks for sharing your stories and for showcasing the great state of Idaho.

Highway safety

Increased I-84 patrols lead to decrease in injury crashes
The number of injury crashes in the I-84 corridor between Nampa and Boise dropped by almost two-thirds - from 26 to 9 - thanks to increased work zone patrols over the last six months. The Idaho State Police (ISP), through an agreement with ITD, increased patrols in the 12-mile work zone last August.
Continue


Aeronautics
Initiative under way to operate Reed Ranch Airstrip
The Reed Ranch Airstrip, a private facility that has been accessible by permission only, may become part of Idaho’s network of state-operated airstrips and available for public use. ITD’s Division of Aeronautics recently submitted a special use application to the U.S. Forest Service requesting authority for the state to open, operate and maintain the airstrip for public use.

Continue


Retirement

Queen Pat rides coach into retirement

Co-workers and friends declared Pat Marler “queen for a day,” last week on the advent of her formal retirement. Actually, Marler operated under the title – with all of its adornments such as a crown, scepter, cape and throne – since December when retirement planning began.

Continue


Highways
ITD shares GARVEE experience with Alaska DOT

Alaska has a problem – more transportation infrastructure needs than available resources to meet those needs. Sound familiar?  Representatives from the Alaska Department of Transportation recently visited ITD as part of a trip through the Pacific Northwest
Continue


Public service
Volunteers available to help translate for customers

ITD employees often come in contact with citizens whose primary language is not English. Recognizing the need to communicate with them effectively, Headquarters has identified and secured the services of employees who are proficient in non-English languages to serve as interpreters.
Continue


Professional development
Conference to focus on practical solutions

ITD’s 2009 Project Development Conference will focus on Practical Solutions for Transportation Systems in Idaho. The event will include presentations by nationally known transportation experts, more than 30 breakout sessions, exhibits, sponsors and an awards banquet.
Continue

Five new award categories added

Five new Excellence in Transportation awards will be presented as part of the 2009 Project Development Conference, April 7, 8 in Boise. Award winners will be announced at a banquet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the opening night of the conference at the Boise Centre on the Grove.
Continue


Employees
What's in an acronym?

What’s the difference between TPAA, TPA, TP and TPBM? Aside from the common emergency declaration, what does SOS represent at the Idaho Transportation Department? ADA is short for Americans with Disabilities Act; it has a different connotation at ITD. And DOS is more an antiquated computer operating system that morphed into the Windows platform.
Continue

Prioritize to keep work, family life separate
Many people assume that “moms” bear all the responsibility for keeping a household running. In today’s busy world, dads are becoming more and more involved with parenting and housekeeping. Unfortunately, it has been a challenge for our jobs to keep pace with our changing society, and this shift can cause a real strain – particularly with fathers who work full-time.
Continue


In Memoriam

Tom Baker

The ITD community mourns the passing of Tom S. Baker who passed away Feb. 3 in Island Park. Baker was a long-time engineer who served in the Rigby and Island Park areas. He retired after 35 years of service with the department and will be missed by his many former colleagues.

Continue


Employee safety
Care, attention urged when using microwave oven

Microwave ovens demand a lot of attention. They are convenient and significantly reduce the time needed for cooking, preparing or reheating food. But they must be monitored continuously during use. The main building at Headquarters was evacuated briefly Wednesday morning for what some thought was an unannounced fire drill. Investigation by responding  firefighters concluded, however, that a Styrofoam cup overheated and started to melt in a microwave activated fire alarms.
Continue


Emergency planning
Online test reveals 'readiness quotient'
If a disaster struck today, would you, your family or your organization be ready? Would you know how to communicate with your loved ones?  Would you know how to obtain the latest information from state or local authorities?  If you are like the majority of Americans, you know that preparing for disaster and other emergencies makes sense,  but you may not know what specific actions you need to take to get prepared.
Continue

Make sure canned rations are safe
There are a variety of ways to stock a 72-hour kit with food. Shelf -stable boxed goods, Meals Ready To Eat (MREs) and nutrition bars are all possible food types to include in a kit. Another alternative is canned goods. Canned foods have a relatively long shelf life, provide a wide variety of choices and are well sealed from outside environmental factors (flood waters, dirt, etc.).

Continue


News to Share

ITD’s Bruce King is not an attorney, yet his argument in support of autonomy for local government has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. King, a communications specialist for District 6 in Rigby, devotes considerable spare time to local government as a city council member of the City of Sugar City. He recently drafted a letter on behalf of the council, outlining its disagreement with the court’s ruling about regulating adult entertainment businesses.
Continue

Please share information about your accomplishments or those of your colleagues with the ITD community. Send contributions to the e-mail link above.

Views to Share

Do you have a question related to ITD processes, policies or projects? Has something been puzzling you about why we do what we do? Share your questions using the e-mail link above and let us find the answers.


Published previously

Legislature

ITD presents annual report, FY 2010 request to Legislators

ITD director Pam Lowe and the department’s executive team presented the  annual report and Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal to the Legislature’s House and Senate transportation committees on Jan. 22. Each of ITD’s division administrators gave reports accompanied by a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation and video display. 
Continue


Special Olympics

ITD helps ensure safe routes for World Winter Games

Moving 2,500 Special Olympics athletes, coaches, family, friends and spectators around the Treasure Valley and state for a week takes a monumental effort. Representatives from a number of groups met several times since early last summer to identify the best travel routes for the Olympic athletes and to enhance communication during the event to ensure the safety of participants, their families and volunteers.

Continue

Highways
Weiser bridge about 6 months ahead of schedule

District 3 first reported a few months ago on the project to replace a bridge on U.S. 95 over the Snake River in Weiser – a crossing that has been in place since the original bridge was built in 1903. Following that, an additional span was added in 1911, and traffic signals came in 1949. In the 1950s, the bridge was replaced. By this fall, a new structure will connect Annex, Ore., to Weiser.
Continue


Idaho RWIS system featured in corporate magazine
Faced with limited budgets in an economic crisis, today’s winter road maintainers are being tasked with providing higher levels of service and road safety for the same or less cost. In this challenging operational landscape, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has emerged as a prime example of how to accomplish that goal using a cost-effective, non-invasive Road Weather Information System (RWIS).
Continue

HRD training schedule

  Feb. 24-26 Intermediate Communication
  March 10-12 Basic Communication
  April 14, 15 Situational Leadership
  May 12, 13 Managing Performance
  June 9-11 Intermediate Communication
This schedule represents training classes available at Headquarters. For schedules at specific districts, please contact your EST or refer to the training calendar.