9/27/2013

Accolades
Idaho surges into lead on award for people's choice
With just a few days left to vote for America's Transportation Award, Idaho's Sand Creek Byway project in Sandpoint is leading a field of 10 top construction projects in the country by a small margin. As of Thursday, Sept. 26, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials reported that Idaho had tallied 36,532 votes.
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Transportation board
Board tours District 1
The board’s tour in District 1 on Sept. 18 focused on Bonner County. That area has seen a number of major transportation improvements lately, including the award-winning US-95 Sand Creek Byway and US-2 Dover Bridge projects. The day’s activities also included a visit to the Bonner County Airport in Sandpoint.
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Aeronautics
Young artists encouraged to enter aviation contest
Fascination with flight usually begins at an early age, as art projects often demonstrate. Pencil drawings of World War I biplanes, sketches of F-14 fighter jets, the Hindenburg, the space shuttle … all capture the imagination of young artists. A contest sponsored by ITD’s Division of Aeronautics will give students a venue for expressing their artistic talents and love of aircraft this fall.
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Walk to School
Idaho students to participate in international event
Students from an estimated two-dozen schools will participate in International Walk to School Day, Wednesday (Oct. 9), as part of a global event. The annual event involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day.
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Alternative transportation
Benefits of walking, biking acknowledged
Brent Jennings: Bicycling and walking are often called ‘alternative transportation’ modes. In fact, they are our primary ways of moving from place to place. All of us learned to walk and many of us learned to ride a bicycle long before we slid into the driver’s seat of a car.
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Highways
Scorpion Creek Bridge completed, awaiting water
The Scorpion Creek Bridge on Idaho 78 has been substantially completed, with crews needing to return in October to plant Bluegrass (Barley and Sandberg) and Needle-and-Thread Buffalo Grass. 
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Employees
Using Blue Cross network providers can reduce costs
Knowing the difference between in-network providers and out-of-network providers could save you a lot of green. First, what is a provider? A provider is a professional who provides healthcare services. Providers can be doctors, dentists, physical therapists, chiropractors or psychologists. Blue Cross arranges contracts with a wide range of providers in a wide range of specialties.
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Law enforcement
ISP forensics services re-accredited
The Idaho State Police’s three Forensic Services (ISPFS) laboratories recently were reaccredited for another five-year period by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) under an international accreditation for forensic crime laboratories.
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Environment
Encore (9-20-13): Birds and girders live in harmony
It’s a mismatch that rivals The Odd Couple, but by all appearances seems to work without conflict. The great blue heron is about 4 feet tall and weighs in at a scant 6 pounds, or thereabouts. The bridge is more than 1,700 feet long, 88 feet wide and tips the scales at 38 million pounds.
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Accolades
Encore (9-20-13): Sand Creek Byway receives regional acclaim
The U.S. Highway 95 realignment project has been named best project in the highway/bridges category by the Engineering News-Record Mountain States. Engineering News-Record is a weekly construction industry trade publication that provides news, analysis, data and opinion on projects worldwide.
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Highway safety
Encore (9-20-13): Parents over optimistic about teen driving behaviors
Brent Jennings: In many situations, we think we know what the other person’s thoughts and ideas are, but in reality sometimes our perceptions do not always align. I want to share with you some interesting information from a survey conducted by our highway safety partners from State Farm Insurance. I found this to be of interest, and I hope you do too.
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Employees
Encore (9-20-13): Flu season waiting at doorstep
Centers for Disease Control: Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death.
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