1/3/2014

Legislature
Curtain rises on 2014 Legislature next week
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter will set the stage for Idaho government’s 2014 agenda when he presents the annual State of the State and budget address Monday afternoon. The 2014 Idaho Legislature officially convenes about an hour before his address, at noon in the Idaho Capitol.
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Transportation funding
COMPASS makes transportation funding top priority
The board of directors of the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) identified its legislative priorities at its monthly board meeting on Dec. 16th. The priorities identified four legislative position statements.
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Highway safety
Journey to zero highway deaths continues
Brent Jennings: At times (especially at the end of the year) many of us might tend to look in the rearview mirror and ask if progress has been made. About the time doubt creeps in, a letter or note will show up on our doorstep that informs us a life was saved today as a result of the work all of us do in highway safety.
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511 Traveler Services
511 automates RWIS condition alerts
Idaho might lead the nation in automating road condition alerts for its 511 Traveler Services system. A few other states incorporate data gathered by remote weather sensors into their road reports, but Idaho may be the only state generating automated road condition alerts on the 511 website
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Technology
State launches redesigned official website
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced Thursday (Jan. 2) the State of Idaho’s official website, Idaho.gov, has an updated appearance and greatly improved functionality. "We want to make sure your interaction with state government is as pleasant as possible,” Gov. Otter said.
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Winter maintenance
Deicing additive getting ITD test
Keith Kinnaird (Bonner County Daily Bee): The Idaho Transportation Department is testing the efficacy of adding corrosion inhibitor to its deicer mix in Bonner County this winter. The department wants to nail down whether the additive will curb the corrosive effect of salt brine that’s being used to keep state highways clear of snow and ice.
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Outstanding Customer Service
Changes in POE financial transactions improve efficiency
Changes to how Port of Entry (POE) financial transactions are managed should increase efficiency and improve customer service as a result of a project completed recently by Financial Services, Revenue Operations and Enterprise Technology Services.
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Employees
Encore (12-27-13): Schroeder, Hood poised to take leadership roles at D3
Amy Schroeder and Fran Hood will make the transition to District 3 in early January, filling key positions when they land near Chinden and Coffey streets. Schroeder takes over Gurnsey’s former position, while Hood assumes Kuisti’s original position. Schroeder is the Engineering Manager (Development)
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Remembering the best
Encore (12-27-13): 2013 filled with successes, national recognition
ITD’s drive to become the best transportation department in the country may not be complete yet, but judging by the miles traveled in 2013, the destination is within sight. The travelogue is summarized in Transporter stories that date back to January.
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Employees
Encore (12-27-13): New training available for all ITD employees
As a result of ITD’s commitment to continually develop employees, the Training & Development team is excited to offer valuable training for all employees. Two new programs are bundled in two separate sets of courses. Training and Development recently added the training to the transcript of each employee. Notices about the training courses was distributed recently by email.
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Public outreach
Encore (12-27-13): Idaho 55 corridor plans unveiled at public meeting
About 70 people attended the Idaho 55 Corridor Study open house on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at Shadow Valley Golf Course north of Boise. The meeting focused on the section of highway from north of State Street in Ada County to the Banks-Lowman Road cutoff just north of Banks in Boise County.
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