7/8/2011

Transportation funding
AASHTO: Mica's proposal only a starting point
"Chairman Mica's bill is the first step in the process to pass a new long-term surface transportation bill that is desperately needed to maintain our national transportation system. This proposed legislation features many reforms that state departments of transportation support ...
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Transportation board
Board schedules District 1 meeting, tour
The Idaho Transportation Board will tour northern Idaho on Wednesday as part of its regular business meeting and trip to Coeur d’Alene and District 1. Some of the tour activities include meeting with local officials from Eastside Highway District and the city of Rathdrum, visiting the Coeur d’Alene Airport, and stopping at the Huetter Rest Area to meet with Port of Entry staff.
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Highway safety
Study reveals factors leading to motorcycle crashes
Lane Triplett, SHSP Motorcycle Team Member For the past few months, I have been gathering data from the State of Idaho Vehicle Collision Reports for Motorcycles for the years 2009 and 2010. This project began during one of the initial planning sessions for the Idaho Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Motorcycle Safety Committee. One of the strategies outlined was to analyze the data and identify some of the circumstances contributing to Idaho’s motorcycle fatalities.
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Motor Vehicles
Central issue process heading into home stretch
ITD’s Division of Motor Vehicles staff embarked on a monumental task in May – introducing a new way of issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards statewide. The migration to a central-issue system for preparing and delivering licenses and ID cards required half-day closures of county licensing offices throughout the state and staff training.
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Communication
Transporter survey designed to make improvements
The Transporter has been an important information tool for employees since the Department of Highways became the Idaho Transportation Department in the 1970s. Like the department and the transportation industry, the Transporter has steadily evolved. In 2002 it moved from a twice-monthly printed publication that was distributed to employees on payday weeks to a weekly online publication accessible on the Intranet and Internet.
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Accolades
Exceeding customers' expectations
District 3's Todd Dayong was in the right place at the right time, and Natalie Bowby is forever thankful. Bowlby sent an e-mail message to ITD to acknowledge Daylong's help with an incapacitated automobile.
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Employees
Vic Parrish named ITD safety manager
I am pleased to announce that Vic Parrish, from our Training and Development office has been selected to fill the ITD Safety manager position. Vic studied at the University of Texas and Howard Payne University. He completed Life Safety Code classes in Texas and was certified upon completion.
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Highway safety
ITD joins campaign to reduce speed-related crashes
Excessive speed is a leading cause of motor vehicle crashes resulting in serious injuries or deaths on state highways, so ITD is partnering with Idaho law enforcement agencies to “Stop Speeding Before it Stops You.”  An aggressive statewide education and enforcement campaign is planned for July 15-26. Law enforcement officers will watch for drivers speeding on all roads in Idaho.
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Alternative transportation
ITD earns 'gold level' in May in Motion campaign
Finding an alternative to solo commuting has its rewards. It improves the environment, reduces congestion, saves gas (and the gas budget)… and it sometimes earns special concessions for your employer. ITD earned “gold-level” status in this year’s “May in Motion” campaign sponsored by ACHC Commuteride.
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Icon Credit Union
New Meridian branch progressing
The Icon Branch building project at 485 W. Overland Road, near the Lowe's home improvement store in Meridian is progressing and on schedule despite this spring's uncooperative weather. The 5,000 sq. ft. full-service branch will feature a three-lane drive up, member internet coffee area, and conference/meeting room (available for use by community non-profit groups
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ACCEM
Keep your cool when electricity fails
Idaho can be home to extreme weather. It can be really hot or really cold. Having a power outage during either of those extremes could be very uncomfortable, or in some cases, depending on a person’s condition, even deadly. On average, in the United States, approximately 175 people a year die from extreme heat. Children, the elderly or those that are sick are at the highest risk.
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Encore (7-1-11): Contested case
Hearing officer recommends issuing Exxon/Mobil permits
A hearing officer recommended this week that ITD issue permits to ExxonMobil for the transport overlegal loads on U.S. 12. The company is proposing to move approximately 200 large loads from the Port of Lewiston to the Montana border on U.S. 12. Opponents argued against the issuance of the permits before retired judge Duff McKee during an April hearing in Boise.
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Encore (7-1-11): Aeronautics
Twenty-five youth share common bond – aviation
The Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) academy, sponsored by ITD and the Division of Aeronautics, attracted one of its largest classes of high school students in recent memory June 20-22, including a record number of girls -- seven. During the three-day experience, students explore career opportunities in aviation and tour aeronautics-related sites and organizations in the Treasure Valley.
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Encore (7-1-11): Education
ITD volunteers share expertise with Canyon County youth
School is out but learning did not stop for nearly 100 students from Canyon County middle schools who spent two separate days touring ITD Headquarters and District 3 facilities. The purple-clad group built towers out of dry spaghetti and marshmallows, participated in chemistry, geotechnical and structural demonstrations, and got to watch materials get stretched, snapped and crushed.
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Encore (7-1-11) Education
E-girls find lessons on aggregate in form of cookies
Erika Bowen and Mary Lockwood led a group of young women through an exercise designed to demonstrate how a road surface is constructed as part of the annual e-Girls Workshop at Boise State University recently. Instead of the typical aggregates – crushed rock, sand and limestone dust or cement – the young women worked with chopped walnuts, coconut and oats.
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Encore (7-1-11) Accolades:
AASHTO subcommittee presents achievement award to Reese
Longtime ITD engineer and hydrologist Lotwick Reese recently received the Region 4 Design Award at the annual American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) meeting in St. Louis. The annual award is given for outstanding achievement in design by a member of AASHTO’s subcommittee on design or one of its technical committees, explains ITD Design Engineer Nestor Fernandez.
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