8/2/2013

Teen driving
Program designed to help parents, young drivers
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna announced this week the creation of a new program to help parents and guardians of teen drivers. The Parent’s Supervised Driving Program, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, is designed to optimize the 50 hours (10 at night) of supervised driving teens are required to complete with parents before receiving their license.
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Overland bike tour
Highway lessons from the seat of a bicycle
Last of a two-part series: When Brent Jennings embarked on a long-distance bicycle trek through northern Oregon and parts of southern Washington to his home in Eagle, he knew that there would be physical and mental challenges along the way.
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Highway safety
State Farm, ITD provide cash for high school traffic-safety events
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among teenage drivers so State Farm has partnered with ITD to help drive down fatalities and injuries among young drivers. This week, State Farm committed funds to the department that will promote traffic-safety events at high schools in Burley, Minico and Caldwell. The schools will share the $3,750 State Farm grant.
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Employees
Employees encouraged to check new Learning Hub
The Human Resources Division Training & Development team is eager to offer you this new tool for monitoring and managing your own learning and professional development. Here are the features you can use today ...
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Highways
Blasting in median prepares way for I-84 resurfacing
Improving safety does not always mean widening a roadway, adjusting the speed limit or installing a traffic signal. Along a critical highway corridor on Interstate 84 east of Boise, ITD crews will take other measures to safeguard drivers.
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Employees
Lunches with a cultural twist arriving at Headquarters
Tired of peanut butter and jam sandwiches? Leftovers on the verge of being toxic? Onsite food vendors might provide the answer. The Kilted Kod began taking orders for fish and chips or fried chicken during the first weekly visit Thursday.
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Interchange of ideas
Meridian Interchange meeting generates input
ITD held the first of three public meetings last week at Wahooz Fun Center in Meridian to explain plans to reconstruct three interchanges in the Treasure Valley – Meridian, Broadway and Gowen. Approximately 85 people attended the meeting to discuss the $40 million Meridian Road Interchange reconstruction project, which is slated to begin next spring.
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Safe driving
Idaho drivers second-best for risk of crash
Brent Jennings, PE: I ran across an article from the Allstate Insurance Company whereby they released their eighth annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report™." The report, based on Allstate claims data, ranks America's 200* largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.
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Overland bike tour
Encore (7-26-13): Jennings reawakens bicycle after 25-year slumber
A journey may hold surprising discoveries, but it always begins with a first step or, for Brent Jennings, the push of a bicycle pedal. Jennings, ITD’s highway safety manager, recently completed a journey full of discoveries on a 10-day, 500-mile bicycle ride from Astoria, Ore., to his home in Eagle.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (7-26-13): ETS turns challenge into opportunity — $20,000 savings
Challenges often come with unexpected opportunities, as ITD’s Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) discovered recently. The result was significant savings in ongoing network costs and the satisfaction derived from achieving more with less.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (7-26-13): A wing, a prayer and Nick Jones
Incident Response’s Nick Jones was patrolling Interstate 84 eastbound between Nampa and west Meridian July 18, much like he does every day, assisting motorists and ensuring unhindered traffic flow. Patrols usually consist of watching for incapacitated vehiles along the highway shoulder.
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Highway safety
Encore (7-26-13): Young drivers hold key to future safety
Brent Jennings, PE: The future looks bright, and youth will lead the way. The Teen Road Safety Advocates™ (TeenRSA) Program is a national initiative that is aimed at empowering youth to take a leadership role in improving roadway safety.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Encore (7-26-13): ITD adds winter maintenance responses to dashboard
In its commitment to efficiency and transparency, ITD recently added another measure to its dashboard that shows graphically the department’s progress in meeting key performance targets. The new dashboard element measures the percent of time highways are clear of snow and ice during winter storms.
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