9/23/2011

Highways
Public shows support for closure of on-ramp
After weeks of attempts to improve safety for traffic merging onto Interstate 84 at the Franklin eastbound on-ramp in Nampa, ITD decided to close the ramp Sunday (Sept. 18). The public generally appreciated the precaution, and a number of motorists called and sent e-mail messages to ITD thanking the department for placing their safety above commuting convenience.
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DMV
Modernization project picking up steam
It’s been a couple of months since our last Garnet Project news update, but the DMV modernization project has not slowed down, instead it has gained speed.
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Contracts
Series to help navigate contract requirements
Sometimes the small details in a construction contract can lead to big and costly problems. That's what ITD hopes to prevent by introducing a series of free courses for for contractors involved in construction projects. The first course, open to the public, will be Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in ITD’s East Annex, 3292 Jordan St. in Boise.
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Highways
New Perrine Bridge signs offer hope to despondent
In a partnership involving the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho (SPAN) and ITD, signs have been posted near each pedestrian entrance to the Perrine Bridge to provide an avenue of hope for the despondent.
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School zones
ISP, ITD encourage caution around schools, buses
Now that school is back in session in most areas, the Idaho State Police with local law enforcement agencies want to warn motorists of the danger that may be just around the corner as thousands of Idaho school-age children are going to and from school.
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Highways
Stephenson named foreman of Murphy shed, awaits 2012 opening
David Stephenson, the roadway foreman in Grangeville for the past 22 years and a 30-year maintenance veteran, will become the new Murphy maintenance foreman when that shed opens next spring. The new Murphy shed is being built on a 10-acre parcel ITD recently acquired.
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Employees
Credit union to provide brown-bag lunch series
Headquarters employees who want to learn at lunch are invited to take advantage of a monthly, brown-bag lunch series on finance provided by Icon Credit Union, beginning Tuesday. Icon representatives will discuss a range of topics from noon to 1 p.m. in the Headquarters Auditorium.
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Highways
Encore (9-16-11): District 2 introduces new seal-coat warranty bid process
District 2 experimented with a new form of bidding on seal-coat projects that could pave the way for a new process within the district and possibly statewide. Two seal-coat projects, bid as a single contract this summer, used a warranty concept similar to the Montana Department of Transportation.
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Aeronautics
Encore (9-16-11): Partnership opens new era of recreational airstrip enhancements
A cooperative effort to improve and enhance Idaho’s Airstrip Network took an important step forward with the recent completion of a new shower and restroom facility at Garden Valley Airstrip. ITD’s Division of Aeronautics pooled resources with the Idaho Aviation Foundation (IAF) and the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA) to build the new facility.
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Cultural diversity
Encore (9-16-11): Overcoming communication challenges
Finding a means to communicate seems to have gotten much easier than participating in the simple act of communication. Despite texting, Tweeting, Skyping, blogging and posting, too much of modern human communication can best be summed up by a line from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke” – “What we have here is … failure to communicate.”
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Cultural diversity
Encore (9-16-11): Brown-bag lunch to focus on communication
When communicating with each other, the “what we want to communicate” is often more simple than the “how we communicate it.” Add an overlay of cultural differences and effective communication can get complicated.
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Employees
Encore (9-16-11): Gurnsey takes ITD history into 'retirement'
His official title is Engineering Manager for Engineering, but his real gift is storytelling. And he’s a master. Befitting his quirky personality, the stories are always illustrative of a point he’s trying to make, a point that often is as shrouded in mystery even after he tells the story as it was before he began.
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Employees
Encore (9-16-11): Charitable giving campaign under way
The annual Idaho State Employees’ Charitable Giving Campaign officially began Sept. 1 and continues through October. ITD employees who would like to participate in the campaign should fill out a pledge form, make a copy for their own records and send the original to Diane Page in the Human Resource Services office at Headquarters or to Barbara Conklin in District 3.
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Employees
Encore (9-16-11): Administrative Support workshop planned Oct. 13
A committee of ITD’s administrative professionals is planning the 23rd annual Administrative Support Workshop Oct. 13 in Boise. The theme of the 2011 workshop is “The Color of Change,” focusing on ITD’s goal to become the best transportation department in the country.
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