US-95 slide, impaired driving response training, A status update on the US-95 rockslide, impaired driving information and response training, federal funding and local priorities, and a safety message were the highlights from the Idaho Transportation Board's August 20 meeting. Safety/Security Share Schumacher also warned about scams. He stressed the importance of verifying the credibility of the caller if financial or personal information is involved and check the validity of the message and the sender before responding to emails. He gave the example of an individual who called District 2 to report an email that said she ran a stoplight and had to pay her ticket in two days. ITD does not issue nor enforce traffic violations. Staff confirmed that it was a scam. District 2 rockslide The contractor plans to remove about 14,000 cubic yards of material, by drilling 130 holes for blasting, and using 6,000 pounds of explosives. The blasting is expected to take five to seven days, followed by another five to seven days to remove the debris and reopen the US-95 shoo-fly, which will need to be closed during this work. Work commenced Aug. 24 on the rock face, and the road surface will then be repaired. The project should be completed around November 1. Drugged-driving initiatives The Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Program is a valuable tool to address the impaired driving problem. The program provides 80 hours of intensive training to law enforcement officers to better equip them to evaluate the impairment of a suspect. The officer determines if the subject is impaired, what drug (or category of drug) is causing the impairment, and/or if a medical condition is causing the impairment. Currently, there are 124 DREs throughout the state. Impairment due to marijuana is a growing concern due to its legalization in various forms by most neighboring states. The Office of Highway Safety, in partnership with the Office of Drug Policy, has an impaired-driving campaign focusing on marijuana underway. Staff also reported that there have been 111 highway fatalities so far this year, compared to 145 at this time last year. Local public agencies end-of-year plan and prioritization Currently, the available local allotments total $11.1 million and include savings, prior-year released funds, and unused scheduled funds that are available to cover cost increases or to advance projects. The board approved the prioritized lists by program: Local Urban; Rural, Local Bridge, Off System Bridge; and Local Safety. Projects will be obligated as funding becomes available, and the priorities are contingent on delivery and cost estimating. Published 08-28-20 |