12/18/2015

Idaho Transportation Board
ITD board selects General Fund surplus projects
The Idaho Transportation Board selected road and bridge projects Dec. 17 for maintenance and repair work as part of the department's Strategic Initiatives Program (SIP), authorized by the Idaho Legislature. Selections were based on analysis of each project's return on investment in safety, mobility and economic opportunity.
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Department Vision
Director’s visioning for DMV highlights “unique opportunity”
In early December, ITD Director Brian Ness addressed the department’s DMV section, with much of his presentation focused on the “unique opportunity” ahead. Ness repeatedly discussed the opportunity to shape the culture, the customer-service atmosphere, and the overall tenor of the section (and department) for the next several decades.
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Archaeology
Cultural items reunited with the Nez Perce Tribe
Nearly four decades after a highway project unearthed them, a lengthy curation project has repatriated several sets of Native American human remains with the Nez Perce Tribe, along with several thousand artifacts and related documents from north-central Idaho.
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District 5
Southeastern Idaho crews respond strongly to historically bad weather
The weather forecast for ITD’s southeastern Idaho area calls for unsettled weather and continued storms through Christmas. Based on the performance on the department’s area maintenance crews during the recent record-breaking storm, drivers will be in good hands.
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District 6
Replacement of old Enterprize Canal Bridge near Ririe finishes early
Contractor Knife River Corporation completed removal and replacement of the old Enterprize Canal Bridge on U.S. 26B earlier than planned. The project was originally scheduled for three weeks in duration, but took just one week. Removal of the old bridge (built in 1931) began Dec. 14 and placement of the new prefabricated structure proceeded quickly.
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District 2
Public transportation advisory group seeks north-central Idaho representative
The Public Transportation Advisory Committee (PTAC) is seeking a representative for District 2 in north-central Idaho to serve on its advisory council. The individual selected will represent Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties. The deadline for submitting completed applications is Jan. 13, 2016.
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Emergency Relief
FHWA distributes $411 million in emergency relief for years of disaster repairs
The Federal Highway Administration is spreading $411 million around the nation in accumulated emergency relief funds to help pay for unreimbursed storm-damage costs to roads and bridges from years of natural disasters.
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Transportation Funding
Encore (12-11-15): AASHTO Leadership Thanks Congress for Passage of Historic, Bipartisan Surface Transportation Legislation
President Obama signed into a law a five-year, $305 billion highway bill Dec. 4, with just hours to spare before the scheduled expiration of the nation's road and transit spending. It marked the first time in a decade that Congress approved a long-term surface transportation authorization giving state departments of transportation the certainty to plan and implement significant investments in the nation's aging infrastructure.
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District 2
Encore (12-11-15): Lewiston Hill project on U.S. 95 wins national asphalt paving award
The recent U.S. 95 Lewiston Hill reconstruction project has received the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s (NAPA) award. Knife River Construction, the project’s prime contractor, won the award for quality paving.
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