3/15/2013

Transportation board
Transportation board to tour Treasure Valley projects
Highway construction projects in the Treasure Valley plowed through the winter undeterred by a bitter-cold January. Idaho Transportation Board members will check on the progress of several major projects as a prelude to Wednesday’s monthly business meeting at Headquarters.
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Highway safety
Register now for the 2013 Highway Safety Summit
Registration is under way for the 2013 Highway Safety Summit planned for May 1-2 in Coeur d’Alene. The summit is organized by ITD’s Office of Highway Safety and provides traffic safety professionals and advocates with innovative, results-oriented solutions to eliminate fatalities and reduce injuries from motor-vehicle crashes.
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Media outreach
News media gets sneak preview of I-84 interchange projects
In preparation for a triology of Interstate 84 interchange projects scheduled to begin next year, ITD and the GARVEE office guided representatives from Treasure Valley news media on a tour of the corridor Monday. The media event provided reporters with information about traffic impacts, construction plans and a general timeline.
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Outstanding Customer Service
ITD to weigh and photograph trucks on the fly
A permanent weigh-in-motion (WIM) sensor system on U.S. 20 in Ashton will weigh and photograph trucks as they pass by. This will streamline weight enforcement along the route, saving time and money for officers and truck operators.
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Alternative transportation
Communities sought for bike/pedestrian count
Several Idaho communities are being invited to help provide data on bicycle and pedestrian use for the development of a tool that will be used to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities. It also will help create a system of safe and efficient transportation corridors.
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Aeronautics
Night of Flight to feature historic aviation films Thursday
Gems from Idaho’s aviation history will come alive Thursday when the Idaho Historical Society presents a Night of Flight at the Idaho History Center. The event will feature two historic films – “Telephone Creek,” and “History of Helicopters,” beginning at 7 p.m. at the history center, 2205 Old Penitentiary Road. Night of Flight is free and open to the public.
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Education outreach
Workshops give tips on doing business with government
Business owners and operators can learn the basic rules of doing business with the government at two free workshops in north-central Idaho this month. A workshop in Lewiston is scheduled for Wednesday (March 20), from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will be repeated in Grangeville the next day (March 21),also from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
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Technology
GIS, AASHTO subcommittee to meet in Boise, May 5-8
Transportation officials in the public and private sectors will have an opportunity to explore the many contributions of GIS during a four-day seminar at the Grove Hotel in Boise. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the symposium will be May 5-8, with technical workshops offered as a prelude on May 5.
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Spring thaw brings warnings of flood dangers
Ada City-County Emergency Management: Recent changes in weather patterns have made it more difficult for the reservoir managers to control flooding and manage flows for irrigation and recreation. In April of 2012 two days of high temperatures were followed by two days of heavy rain.
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Highways
Encore (3-8-13): Interchanges will continue Treasure Valley transformation
Three interchanges on Interstate 84 – at Meridian Road, Broadway Avenue and Gowen Road – will be replaced starting early next year, and a third lane will be added between Broadway and Gowen. The ITD projects will improve safety, enhance commerce and reduce congestion.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (3-8-13): Research project could improve winter maintenance
The application of highway treatments before and during storm events largely is based on data captured at nearly 100 Road Weather Information Sites (RWIS) sites throughout the state. Idaho State University senior Jake Kopplow wants to remove much of the subjective part of the decision-making process and replace it with an automated system.
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Employees
Encore (3-8-13): Board to honor employees for longevity, retirement
The Idaho Transportation Board and ITD leaders will celebrate the professional achievements of Headquarters employees during the semiannual Employee Service Awards presentation March 19. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m.
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Highway safety
Encore (3-8-13): Don’t depend on luck when driving this St. Patrick’s Day
The proverbial "Luck of the Irish" is an intriguing concept, but it doesn't extend to driving and alcohol consumption. Mixing the two can have dire consequences whether you're Irish or not. Safe travel to and from St. Patrick’s Day festivities requires a determination to not drive after drinking, ITD reminds motorists.
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Highways
Encore (3-8-13): Construction begins on new Chubbuck Interchange
Construction was to start this week on Idaho’s first diverging diamond interchange.The diverging diamond interchange, or DDI, will replace an existing interchange at U.S. 91 and Interstate 86 in Chubbuck. Lane closures on U.S. 91 (Yellowstone Avenue) will be allowed during the evening hours.
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Employees
Encore (3-8-13): Lunch series will feature inspirational film
Rick Finkelstein was paralyzed in a 2004 ski accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado where he suffered a sustained spine and internal trauma. Six years, nine surgeries and a lifetime of rehabilitation later, cameras captured his dramatic return to Aspen in “The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising.”
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