2/21/2014

Highways
Divisions of Highways realignment moves forward following staff meetings
The Divisions of Highways at Headquarters took a big step Thursday in ITD's efforts to become the best transportation department in the country by announcing the framework of the new organizations.
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Innovate ITD
Innovate ITD campaign wants your thoughts and ideas
If you have ever had a hunch, inkling or idea after hearing someone else talk about their own ideas, or if you have thought to yourself, "if only they would tweak this or change that," then you have had an innovative idea. "Innovate ITD" is a new campaign sponsored by the Innovative Business Practices (IBP) team meant to encourage innovative thinking and a flow of fresh ideas from throughout the department.
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Employees
Ron Wright contributes to recent National Geographic article
An unusually severe winter across much of the United States left no shortage of snow and ice on the nation's roadways. The "polar vortex" and other weather patterns that brought winter misery to drivers also has rekindled interest in salt and its use for melting accumulated snow and ice. In a recent National Geographic article titled "The Surprising History of Salt," writer Brian Clark Howard talked with ITD's Ron Wright about salt and the current scramble for it, particularly in the East and Midwest.
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Avalanche Winter
Avalanche threat closed several Idaho highways
Avalanches, or the threat of them, caused a number of closures to Idaho highways in the last few weeks, and also caused at least one death in the central Idaho area. The 12-mile, avalanche-prone section of Idaho 21 between Grandjean Junction and Banner Summit closed, reopened, then went through the cycle again in mid-February. During the closures, the area received more than 50 inches of snow and experienced the volatility of rain and melting temps.
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Idaho State Police
Idaho State Police commemorate 75 years of service
The Idaho State Police marked its 75th anniversary Feb. 20 during a celebration under the rotunda in Idaho's Capitol. The public was invited to celebrate throughout the day and enjoyed displays of ISP memorabilia, historical photographs, vintage uniforms and patrol cars.
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Social Media
Encore (2-14-14) ITD sets Facebook record with avalanche pictures
A pair of avalanche pictures from a recent closure on Idaho 21 was viewed nearly 13,000 times, setting a new record for the four-year-old ITD Facebook page used as one of many tools to reach the public. The pictures show one of 21 slides to reach the roadway during the recent closure.
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Highway Safety
Drinking and driving: Unsafe at any level
Even "minimally buzzed" drivers are more often to blame for fatal car crashes than the sober drivers they collide with, reports a University of California at San Diego study of accidents in the United States. Led by UC-San Diego sociologist David Phillips and published in the British Medical Journal group's Injury Prevention, the study examined 570,731 fatal collisions, from 1994 to 2011.
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Training and Development
Encore (2-14-14) Training and Development rolls out new course format
Training and Development has restructured many of the computer classes offered to be shorter and focused on more specific subjects. This will allow people to choose class subjects that apply directly to the work they do. All the classes are now one-half day in length. The Excel, Word and Outlook classes, which had been multi-day classes, are now divided into smaller modules.
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Public Involvement
Encore (2-14-14) Broadway Bridge project features new mobile-friendly website
ITD has launched a new mobile-friendly website about the upcoming Broadway Bridge replacement project in downtown Boise. The website allows visitors to watch videos, view design plans and give input about the new bridge from their smartphones, tablets or computers. ITD Public Involvement Coordinator Adam Rush said the department plans to roll out additional mobile-friendly websites in the next few months.
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Enterprise Technology Services
Encore (2-14-14) ETS trades HelpStar for new contact means
Enterprise Technology Services will no longer use HelpStar as a ticket-tracking program for technology-related requests. Employees are reminded to discontinue sending HelpDesk requests to HelpStar (ITDHelpstar), despite its appearance in ITD's global address list, or any other email addresses to which ticket requests may have been sent.
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Child Safety
Encore (2-14-14) NHTSA proposes first-ever side impact test for child restraint systems
The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently proposed upgrades to the federal motor vehicle safety standard for child-restraint systems to ensure child passengers are protected in side crashes. The proposed upgrades would include a first-ever side impact test for car seats sold in the U.S. that are designed for children weighing up to 40 pounds.
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