9/9/2016
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Pair of ITD projects in running for America’s Transportation Awards national honors; public voting opens Friday
BOISE – Two Idaho Transportation Department projects are in the top 12 nationwide and are in the running for the “People’s Choice” category of the America’s Transportation Awards (ATA), with public voting starting today (Friday, Sept. 9) and continuing through Oct. 31 online at www.AmericasTransportationAwards.org.
The two projects previously won regional honors in the ATA in late June.
In advancing the projects to the final list, ATA recognized a historic investment in the state’s roads and bridges during the last decade through Idaho’s GARVEE Program, and Pocatello's South Valley Connector, a collaborative project in southeast Idaho that improves commerce, safety and the mobility of drivers.
The awards are a joint effort of AASHTO (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Idaho was one of only two western states to earn more than one nod into the People’s Choice grouping.
“This is the first time Idaho has won multiple America’s Transportation Awards in the same year," said ITD Director Brian Ness as he picked up the regional awards in Wyoming.
“This shows that the Idaho Transportation Department is being recognized nationally as one of the best transportation departments in the country, and ultimately this excellence benefits all of Idaho's 1.1 million drivers.”
This national recognition only reinforces that.
Idaho’s GARVEE program, which invested $857 million into the state’s roads and bridges during the past decade, was named a regional winner in the Under Budget, Large Project category. It advances to the People’s Choice voting in the same category.
The 59 GARVEE projects statewide were delivered on time, under budget, greatly increased traffic capacity and dramatically improved safety -- all of which are central to the core mission of ITD.
GARVEE created or sustained more than 15,000 jobs in a vulnerable economy, increasing economic opportunity for small business and industry.
GARVEE work was also done with no added state agency personnel, and without compromising or delaying ITD’s regular construction program. GARVEE projects were delivered at an accelerated pace and at lower costs than anticipated.
“This award (for our GARVEE program) is a result of how efficiently and creatively staff implemented the most significant investment in the state’s infrastructure since the interstate system came through Idaho in the 1960s," Ness said.
"This program transformed our highway system, improved safety, increased mobility and enhanced economic opportunity. We added nearly 120 miles of road, along with rebuilding and adding 41 bridges and 14 interchanges. Just as importantly, at the same time we were able to keep our regular maintenance and construction program going – a huge win for every driver in Idaho.”
Click here to view a video on the GARVEE program overall.
Click here for a GARVEE graphic detailing program accomplishments.
The South Valley Connector project in Pocatello, winner of two “Project of the Year” awards this spring, was selected as the regional winner of the Quality of Life/Community Development in the Small Project category. It too will compete in the same category in the People’s Choice voting announced today.
The SVC project was selected as the American Public Works Association Rocky Mountain Chapter Project of the Year and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (Intermountain Chapter) award winner.
First envisioned in the summer of 1968, the project to create a new connection to the south valley area of Pocatello opened to the public as South Valley Road just two days before Christmas 2015. The $3 million first phase began in 2013 and finished in 2014. The $13.6 million Phase 2 of the project followed the next year.
ITD served as the resident engineer on this local project. The South Valley Connector project is a one-mile-long route connecting Bannock Highway to South 5th Avenue.
From Bannock Highway in the west, the roadway begins on an elevated plain across a former floodplain and sewage lagoon, traveling east until it reaches the Portneuf River levee. There the alignment switches to a 423-foot, two-span bridge crossing the Portneuf and associated levees, six Union Pacific Railroad tracks and South 2nd Avenue, finally touching down on a basalt lava flow outcropping.
Once located on the bluff overlooking the valley, the roadway crosses beneath Interstate 15 with two overpass bridges. The roadway then resurfaces and connects to South 5th Avenue at a new traffic signal one-half mile south of the nearest I-15 interchange.
The roadway consists of two travel lanes, bicycle lanes, and a 10-foot-wide multi-use pathway separated from the road. Additional right-of-way was purchased for future widening.
Click here for a time-lapse drone video of the project.
Click here for a graphic depicting the various improvements.
“The South Valley Connector is a great example of what can happen when government agencies work well together,” Ness said. “The Idaho Transportation Department worked hand-in-hand with the city to produce an award-winning project that will greatly enhance mobility in the Pocatello area and increase economic opportunity for small business and industry, and most importantly, save lives.”
Idaho’s two regional winners were selected by the judges to move on to The People’s Choice award (and/or Grand Prize) and a shot at $10,000 in prize money to be designated by the winning state department of transportation to donate to a charity or scholarship program of its choice. The winner will be announced Nov. 14 in Boston.
The only other time Idaho had a project advance to the People’s Choice stage of the America’s Transportation Awards, the U.S. 95 Sand Creek Byway finished 2nd in national voting in 2013.