7/5/2013

Outstanding Customer Service
ITD to reduce delays for motorists in construction zones
Traffic flow through this summer’s construction zones statewide will improve as ITD introduces guidelines to alleviate long-held driver frustrations. Wait times for projects will be shorter, and speed limits and lane closures will be more reasonable as the department acts on input from drivers.
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Aeronautics
Planes destined for Johnson Creek airstrip collide in air
Two private planes attempting to land at the Johnson Creek airstrip last week collided about 60 feet above ground and crashed onto the north end of the runway. A 2-year-old passenger died in the crash and three adults were injured. Two of the adults were taken by air to a Boise hospital; the third declined transport.
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Transportation board
Board to visit INL, meet in Rigby next week
The Idaho Transportation Board will continue its series of meetings in the districts next week, traveling the U.S. 20 corridor from Idaho Falls and the idaho National Laboratory Thursday. The monthly business meeting will be Wednesday at the District 6 office in Rigby.
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Hot risks
Sun-baked cars can become death traps
Extreme heat throughout most of Idaho and the inland west threatened or surpassed record high temperatures this week. The heat wave broke longstanding records four consecutive days in Boise. Rising temperatures lead to a number of heat-related illnesses, especially among the elderly and young children. And it can become a silent killer for those left, even briefly, in automobiles.
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Transportation system
Idaho ranks 17 for transportation system efficiency
Idaho’s state transportation system remained constant, ranked 17th nationally in an efficiency report issued this week by the Reason Foundation. The 20th annual report, under the direction of David T. Hartgen, indicted Idaho’s performance was unchanged between 2008 and 2009, and was slightly lower than in 2007.
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Highways
Reason report says national system improving
The Reason Foundation’s 20th annual report on the Performance of State Highway Systems tracks the performance of state-owned highway systems of the U.S. from 1984 to 2009. The system’s overall condition improved dramatically from 2008 to 2009.
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Planning
Public comments sought in selecting ITD projects
ITD is soliciting public comments through July 30, on the FY2014-18 draft of the Idaho Transportation Investment Program (ITIP). The ITIP is a five-year “roadmap” for planning and developing transportation projects.
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Bridge
Girders get a lift to new home
The last of more than 100 girders has been set for the new bridge over the Boise River. The bridge will be 1,726 feet long and 88 feet wide, with more than 1.5 million pounds of rebar and 36.6 million pounds of concrete.
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Maintenance
Mighty Duck Rescue ... The sequel
Less than a month after ITD saved a mother duck and her brood of ducklings from a storm drain on the Headquarters campus, another family was rescued Friday (June 28) by the District 3 Incident Response crew near the inbound Connector pond.
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Highways
Commuting congestion
A semi-truck rollover on westbound Interstate 84 near the Gowen Road exit in east Boise created major headaches for commuters Tuesday morning, blocking both westbound lanes for several hours. The crash occurred at about 5:30 a.m. One lane reopened at about 8:30 am.
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ACE Academy
Encore (6-28-13): Learning reaches new heights at three-day event
Students from throughout Idaho gathered this week at ITD’s Division of Aeronautics for the annual Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) Academy that began Monday (June 24) and concluded. Wednesday. Twenty-four adventurous Idaho high school students in grades 9 through 12 seized the opportunity to learn about all-things-aviation.
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Hot suggestions
Encore (6-28-13): Excessive heat creates health threat
National Weather Service: North American summers are hot; most summers see heat waves in one or more parts of the United States. East of the Rockies, summers tend to combine both high temperatures and high humidity, although some of the worst heat waves have been catastrophically dry.
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Project funding
Encore (6-28-13): Application deadline nears for funding local activities
Local communities, schools and agencies may apply in the next few weeks for funds that benefit bicyclists, pedestrians, persons with disabilities and those concerned with environmental impacts of transportation-related activities.
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