8/23/2013

Idaho burning
Wildfires force highway closure, evacuation warnings
Two raging forest fires in western Montana, branded the Lolo Complex Fire, forced closure of U.S. 12 near the Idaho-Montana state line Monday. The highway remains closed on both sides of Lolo Pass, severing the corridor at a peak travel period.
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Transportation board
Board considers report on vehicle/wildlife crashes
District 4 staff members took advantage of a transportation board meeting and tour last week to discuss efforts to reduce wildlife collisions in the district. They reported that 60 crashes occurred on the stretch of Idaho 75 between Hailey and Ketchum.
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Research
TRB officials plan ITD visit Wednesday
Representatives from the Transportation Research Board will meet with ITD officials next to learn of the department’s recent initiatives and innovations and to reinforce the ongoing partnership. The annual TRB visit will be Wednesday (Aug. 28).
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DMV outreach
ITD services delivered to fair visitors
Aside from a virtual visit to ITD, the best introduction of services provided by the department might be found in an exhibition hall at one of Idaho’s major fairs. DMV representatives explained the myriad services and programs available through ITD this week at the Western Idaho Fair in Garden City.
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Highway safety
Law enforcement to focus on impaired drivers
ITD and law enforcement officers throughout Idaho will partner in a high-visibility, impaired-driving education and enforcement campaign beginning Monday (Aug. 26) and continuing through Sept. 8. The campaign is part of a nationwide Labor Day education and enforcement campaign that targets drunk driving.
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Highways
Murphy shed will improve maintenance responses
A new maintenance facility that will improve highway maintenance responses in southwest Idaho was completed recently. Construction began last year on the new maintenance facility that will enable ITD to better serve the needs of motorists on Idaho 78 between Grand View and Marsing.
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Highways
Scorpion Creek to have new freedom to flow
A project to place a bridge over Scorpion Creek on Idaho 78 in Owyhee County reached a major milestone with the recent placement of bridge girders. The new concrete-slab bridge replaces three corrugated metal culverts under the highway.
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DBE workshop
Meridian workshop shows how to do business with government
The public can learn basic guidelines for doing business with the government at a free workshop Sept. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Meridian City Hall, 33 E. Broadway Ave. The program will feature presenters from ITD, the Idaho Department of Commerce, the U.S. Small Business Administration and Mountain Home Air Force Base.
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ISP history
'Without Compromise,' Stories of Idaho State Police
It has been a journey ranging from barely-functioning motor vehicles and hardly-there roads to high-tech computer systems and biotechnology - a long way. Some of what the Idaho State Police does is evident in newspaper headlines and local television news reports, but only pieces of it, as glimpses of the larger story.
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Preparedness
Common first aid mistakes and treatments
Ada City-County Emergency Management: Whether it’s during a disaster or everyday life, you may need to assist another person. But good intentions don’t always lead to good results. Following is a list of common first aid mistakes, followed by the recommended actions to take.
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Aviation technology
Encore (8-16-13): Idaho competing to take lead in unmanned aircraft
Idaho Department of Commerce: Known for its agriculture and diverse landscapes, Idaho’s natural attributes and technical expertise position the state for leadership in the dynamic Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry.
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Aviation technology
ITD joins effort to land unmanned aircraft industry
Idaho is ideally positioned to become a national test center for the burgeoning unmanned aircraft industry – a message state officials delivered this week at an exposition in Washington, D.C. ITD’s Aeronautics Administrator Mike Pape joined a delegation from Idaho to at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's (AUVSI) exhibition this week in Washington, D.C.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Return to school requires renewed safety emphasis
School playgrounds, halls and buses – most of which have been dormant the past three months – will return to life in the next few weeks as children migrate back to class. That means more children walking and riding bicycles to school, boarding school buses and riding in private vehicles. ITD wants to ensure those trips to and from school are as safe and incident-free as possible.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): School zones require lower speeds, more driver awareness
Flashing yellow lights and fluorescent signs clearly identify most school zones and pedestrian/bicycle crossings in Idaho. Drivers who fail to slow down to school zone speeds (generally posted at 20 mph or slower when children likely will be present) pay enhanced fines as a result of legislation passed in 2008.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Drivers need to use increased vigilance in school zones
Streets and neighborhoods become more crowded when school resumes every fall. Routes that might be free of pedestrians and bicycle riders in the summer can become congested. Travel times increase along with the potential for vehicle crashes with school-age children. Motorists need to increase their vigilance, especially around schools and along crowed routes.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Children, drivers should follow bus safety procedures
Few things are as exciting – and at the same time intimidating – as a young child’s first ride on a school bus. Those buses and the professional drivers represent one of the safest forms of transportation for school children. Keeping those rides safe depends on following some basic rules and practices.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Children who ride bikes to school need to pay attention
Children face considerably more challenges – and threats – than their parents and grandparents who rode their bicycles to school when they were young. Cars travel faster. Drivers have more distractions. And many neighborhoods still aren’t adequately designed for safe bicycling.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Parents should prepare children before walks to school
Walking to school can be invigorating before school and help children unwind after spending a day in the classroom, but it also brings inherent risks. Programs like Safe Routes to School help schools, cities and counties ensure routes are as safe as possible.
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Safe school travel
Encore (8-16-13): Ensure vehicle is road worthy before handing over keys
Families spend more than $600 on back-to-school supplies every year, but how much do they spend to ensure their teenager is traveling safely to and from school? A new school year is an exciting time for teens. It means new clothes, new school supplies, a new schedule of classes. It’s a great new start! But it cannot happen if students don’t arrive at school.
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