8/1/2014

Customer Service
ITD reaches out to 100,000 Treasure Valley workers, commuters
Reaching out to inform the public and businesses about roadwork impacting them has proven to be an effective tool for the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) as highway construction in the Treasure Valley has evolved in the last decade and a population surge transforms the area.
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Summer Safety
Stay safe while hitting the road this summer
With the summer travel season upon us, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reminds drivers to plan ahead and stay safe on our nation’s roadways. Before hitting the road, NHTSA recommends that all drivers know their vehicle service history.
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Protect kids from heat stroke
Heat stroke deaths in hot vehicles are the leading cause of non-crash related fatalities for children 14 and young, according to the NHTSA. From 1998 to 2013, 606 children nationwide died due to heatstroke from being left in a vehicle. More than 52 percent of those children were actually forgotten by a busy and distracted parent or caregiver.
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Idaho State Police
ISP joins law enforcement from 15 states in conducting enhanced traffic enforcement Aug. 1-4
Motorists may notice an extra law enforcement presence when driving on two of the country's most highly traveled and dangerous interstates during a four-day enforcement campaign beginning Aug. 1. Idaho State Police and law enforcement officials in 14 other states are joining together with a goal of zero deaths on Interstates 90 and 94 between Washington state and New York August 1st through the 4th.
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Employees
Smoke from a distant fire can affect you
So far this year, the wildfire season has not been as intense as other years in Idaho. Still, smoke from fires in Oregon, Washington and Canada have created a haze over the Treasure Valley. Fires do not need to be burning near our community for the impacts of smoke to create health concerns.
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AASHTO
Statement on congressional passage of short-term highway patch by Bud Wright, AASHTO Executive director
Both houses of Congress today (July 31) passed legislation to provide short-term funding to the Federal Highway Trust Fund. Had this action not been taken, the Federal Highway Administration would have begun delaying reimbursement payments to state departments of transportation on Aug. 1.
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Highways
Encore (7-25-14) Rural interstate speed-limit increase began Thursday
The speed limits on rural stretches of interstate in southern and eastern Idaho were raised to 80 mph Thursday (July 24). The speed limit increased to 80 mph for vehicle traffic and 70 mph for trucks on rural sections of interstates 15, 84 and 86. The speed limit in the urban areas of the Treasure Valley, between Caldwell and east Boise, as well as through Pocatello and Idaho Falls, remain at 65 mph.
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Cyber Security
Encore (7-25-14) Stay safe when using the Internet with new training opportunity
“Securing the Human” is a new training opportunity launching this month designed to help people stay safe when they use Internet services at work and at home. The training is sponsored by ITD’s Cyber Security Team and will help provide ways to better protect work-related and personal information when online.
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DMV Services
Encore (7-25-14) CDL holders medical card reporting is getting easier
A new electronic reporting system will streamline state and federal reporting requirements for Idaho Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holders and medical providers who are certified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
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Customer Service
Encore (7-25-14) Thorne family thanks Council crew, Grossen, Fry for motorist assistance on U.S. 95
On the evening of July 21, after visiting friends in Montana, Sharon Thorne and her daughter were returning to Boise, with a stop in Grangeville. What was usually a four-hour trip to Meridian from Grangeville turned into an 8.5-hour trip. As bad as that was, it would have been even worse without the help of Roy Grossen, Don Fry, and the Council Maintenance crew.
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Academic Honor
Encore (7-25-14) 'General Doctor' Manning honored by U of I for service
When friends of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Darrell Manning hatched the idea of securing him an honorary doctorate at the University of Idaho, they kept it a secret. "Darrell just doesn't talk about himself," said former Sen. Laird Noh, who joined U of I Distinguished Professor Jean'ne Shreeve in initiating Manning's nomination.
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USDOT
Encore (7-25-14) USDOT Sec. Foxx joins 11 former transportation secretaries calling for long-term transportation investment
In an open letter published this week by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and 11 others who previously held his position, Foxx and his predecessors pushed Congress to quickly find a way to provide long-term investment in the nation's transportation infrastructure to keep the U.S. moving and growing economically.
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