8/22/2014
Employees
Boss Lift recognizes ITD's support of Idaho National Guard
It's not everyday that someone outside of the National Guard has the opportunity to ride in a Blackhawk helicopter or cruise in a Humvee. However, Idaho Transportation Department's Juan Oleaga, a manager in the project management office, did just that, thanks to his employee Derek Roy.
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2014 Leadership Summit
Third Leadership Summit focuses on building the culture for a better Idaho
Compelling speakers, thought-provoking group activities and even a game show were just part of the Idaho Transportation Department’s 2014 Leadership Summit. Some 170 ITD employees from across the state attended the third agency summit, with its focus on “building the culture for a better Idaho,” on Aug. 12. Kicking off at 7:30 a.m., the day-long conference included a mix of speakers, all of whom focused on how every employee can develop and contribute to a better workplace culture.
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2014 Leadership Summit
Sayer discusses top business principles for state agencies
Jeff Sayer is the director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. Appointed in 2011 by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, he has provided financial and executive leadership for companies ranging from startups to those with sales of more than $500 million. As the first speaker of the day at the 2014 Leadership Summit,
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2014 Leadership Summit
Ness focuses on building the culture for a better Idaho
In front of some 170 Idaho Transportation Department employees at the 2014 Leadership Summit, Director Brian Ness highlighted how the department is doing, where it is going and how it is redefining its culture, one employee at a time.
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2014 Leadership Summit
Culture change doesn't happen overnight
Dr. Tom DeCoster, a Professor Emeritus of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, is no stranger to the Idaho Transportation Department and to nearly 20 transportation departments around the country. He spoke extensively about what culture is and how cultural change within a company or agency doesn’t happen overnight,
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2014 Leadership Summit
Johnson, Otto lead culture discussion
Jim Johnson and Jay Otto presided over a lively, interactive discussion with Idaho Transportation Department employees during the 2014 Leadership Summit. Otto is a research scientist and the managing director for the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University. Johnson is a national expert in assisting organizations to define their existing culture and transition to a more desirable one. Deeply involved with ITD’s cultural shift,
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2014 Leadership Summit
Raney warns of complacency
Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney has been with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office since 1983. Sworn in as sheriff in 2005, Raney is responsible for the largest law enforcement agency in Idaho with around 650 employees and a $60 million budget.
Raney told the audience of Idaho Transportation Department employees during the 2014 Leadership Summit that the “cancer of complacency”-if left untreated- can kill an organization.
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2014 Leadership Summit
Good culture comes down to basics
Boise State University Broncos Head Football Coach Bryan Harsin believes a good culture can come down to the basics, like showing up to work on time and prepared. Hired as the head coach in Dec. 2013 at Boise State, Harsin is a former Bronco quarterback, and a former member of the coaching staff from 2001 to 2010. He also completed a coaching stint at Texas and at Arkansas State.
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2014 Leadership Summit
Kustra recounts Boise State cultural change
Boise State University President Dr. Bob Kustra was the final speaker during the 2014 Leadership Summit. He has led a transformation that turned the urban Boise campus into a metropolitan research university of distinction. Kustra is the sixth president in the school’s 80-year history.
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NHTSA
USDOT unveils new online search tool for recalls using Vehicle Identification Number
Every year, millions of vehicles are recalled in the United States due to safety defects or noncompliance with federal safety standards. To help car buyers, owners and renters know that their vehicles are safe and their safety defects have been address, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unveiled a new, free, online search tool consumers can use to find out if a vehicle is directly impacted by a recall.
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Safe school travel
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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Highways
Speed, high performance: bridge project, Valley Corvettes featured at Idaho 16 ribbon cutting
The Aug. 15 ribbon cutting for the Idaho 16 extension showcased speed, precision and high performance and so far we haven't even talked about the cool cars. n the last decade, Valley Corvettes, along with sister clubs in Twin Falls and Idaho Falls, donated $230,000 generated from the sale of the Idaho "Corvette" Specialty license plate to Idaho Children's Charities.
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Highways
Encore: (8-15-14) Opening of new Idaho 16 extension and bridge features skydivers, Corvette rides
As many as 300 people came out to celebrate the completion of a massive new bridge across the Boise River and the extension of Idaho 16 south from State Street (Idaho 44) to a connection with Chinden Blvd (U.S. 20/26) on Friday (Aug. 15) at a formal ribbon cutting.
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Encore: (8-15-14) Veterans gather at Statehouse for renaming of Interstate 84
Interstate 84 has formally been renamed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. A ceremony on the Idaho Statehouse steps Aug. 12 officially recognized the designation and was attended by veterans and their family members and also by Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo.
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Employees
Encore: (8-15-14) Help your kids get ready to go back to school
Are your kids beginning to dread the end of summer vacation and the start of a new school year? Or, are your kids excited about going back to school? According to KidsPoll, on most days, 65 percent of kids liked school and 35 percent said they did not.
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