2/1/2013

Best of the best
Director's TRB presentation featured on 'Transportation TV'
A recent presentation by ITD Director Brian Ness at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting continues to generate national attention. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) featured the director’s entire presentation this week on its national website, Transportation TV.
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Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS)
Director Ness, byway receive annual WTS award
ITD Director Brian Ness was in good company Thursday night. He was honored as Transportation Leader of the Year, one of the elite awards presented at the annual Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) banquet in Boise. In accepting the award, Ness recognized the contributions of ITD’s 1,800 employees for helping to transform the department
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Highways
Ice storm slows Treasure Valley traffic to a crawl
IJanuary has been bitterly cold, snow from post-Christmas storms lingered much longer than normal and travel on Idaho highways has been treacherous at times. Perhaps conditions were no worse than on Thursday morning (Jan. 24). Nature added ice and freezing rain, crippling commuters throughout the Treasure Valley and beyond.
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Outstanding Customer Service
ISP goes beyond call to assist injured ITD employee
Highways sometimes can be unpredictably hazardous for those charged with ensuing traveler safety. Maintenance workers are vulnerable even if they are out of established travel lanes. Terry Smith knows that all too well.
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Outstanding Customer Service
DMV's Griffin ensures smooth sailing for parks passport
International passports open the world to exploration. Idaho’s passports open the state’s natural beauty for recreationists. Obtaining the federal or state travel document can daunting. ITD’s Sharon Griffin recently took some of the mystique out of securing an Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) passport for Gayle Valentine.
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Planning
ITD's project planning tool featured by online news service
A tool that helps project planners identify public outreach needs reached an international audience during a recent demonstration at the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C. Bryant Kuechle, of the Langdon Group in Boise, helped design the Project Outreach Planner, which is unique to Idaho.
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Accolades
Sand Creek Byway picks up another award
The Sand Creek Byway has another accolade for its trophy case. The American Council of Engineering Companies of Idaho has picked the U.S. Highway 95 realignment project as the first-place winner for the 2013 Engineering Excellence Awards competition for transportation.
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Highway safety
Research under way to battle impaired driving
Brent Jennings, PE: Between 2007 and 2011 there were 8,347 impaired driving crashes, which resulted in 433 fatalities and 1,413 serious injuries. In fact, approximately 40 percent of all fatal crashes involved impaired drivers. While these facts are very concerning, there is hope.
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Future City
ITD helps young planners envision cleaner future
Bright young minds tackled the challenge of building cities for the future during the National Engineers Week Future City regional competition at Boise State University last week.
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Headquarters
ACHD, Boise officials break ground on new road
ITD was represented Wednesday morning at the launch of a project that will transform vacant land near the Boise River and behind ITD Headquarters. A new corridor will connect State Street and Fairview avenue, north of the river, providing improved access to the Headquarters campus from the east.
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Bridges
One of just 99 pre-1936 survivors will become history
In early March, construction will begin on a replacement for the 78-year-old bridge south of Weiser. Its successor will be a three-lane structure. The project should be done by the end of this year. The Weiser River Bridge is one of 99 bridges on the state system built before 1936 that is still in use.
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Cultural diversity
Topics sought for brown-bag diversity programs
ITD’s noontime diversity programs have covered much cultural ground since Ronald Sam began the series with a presentation of dance, flute and eagle-feather storytelling the summer of 2011. More brown-bag lunch programs are coming, and Senior Human Resource Specialist Michelle George wants to hear from people about topics they would like future programs to cover.
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Black History Month
February honors African American contributions
February has been known as Black History Month since 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Rev. Jesse E. Moorland wanted to celebrate and remember the history, accomplishments and triumphs of Black American culture. Woodson chose February as the month of celebration to honor Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, both born during that month.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (1-25-13): Quick response keeps computer infection in check
Repairs to Idaho’s highways and bridges are readily apparent; so are repairs to buildings and vehicles. But a repair that potentially saved ITD lost time, productivity and valuable resources was made in the background where few people saw them, but everyone benefited.
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Best of the best
Encore (1-25-13): Storm indexing process to be presented nationally
ITD’s innovative and aggressive approach to battling winter storms and documenting maintenance responses will be discussed in a national arena this spring. Storm indexing, a process developed in District 5 and adopted statewide, provides ITD with empirical data to determine the severity of winter storms and the effectiveness in clearing snow and ice from highways.
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Environment
Encore (1-25-13): POE inspectors help prevent mussels build-up
ITD’s Ports of Entry, guardians of commercial vehicles and highway safety, usually aren’t located Idaho’s rivers or lakes. But inspectors are playing a big role in protecting those resources from outside invasion. Inspectors who check drivers’ log books, illegal weights and deficient equipment also give special attention to large boats entering the state.
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Preparedness
Encore (1-25-13): ITD honored with StormReady recognition
ITD's District 4 became the first organization of its kind to receive a StormReady designation from the National Weather Service – an acknowledgement of the district's commitment to training for storm responses. District representatives received a plaque and signs from the Weather Service during an encore award ceremony last week at the Idaho Transportation Board’s monthly business meeting last week.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (1-25-13): Incident Response drivers remain cool under 'fire'
ITD's Nick Jones and Kyle Wright assisted with traffic control and ensuring safe conditions for travelers when responding to separate Jan. 18 truck fires on Interstate 84. Jones, who operates an Incident Response truck, provided initial traffic control and then returned to Eisenman Road at Exit 59 to divert vehicles from the scene of the burning truck east of Boise.
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Public involvement
Open house draws comments about U.S. 95 options
Approximately 350 people attended a hearing in Moscow to listen to and comment on options for improving U.S. 95 betwen Thorncreek and Moscow. ITD sponsored the public hearing on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the U.S. 95 realignment and reconstruction project.
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