10/14/2011

Highways
D-3 worker finds roadside windfall, returns it to owner
New Meadows maintenance technician Rick Dreyer was returning a backhoe to the shop on Oct. 3 when he spotted the greenback on the side of the road about three miles north of the shed. Dreyer stopped to take a closer look. As he looked closer, and expanded his search, he found a total of $843 over about a 200-yard area.
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Teenage drivers
ITD promotes safe driving by young drivers
It should come as no surprise that mom and dad may know more about motor vehicles and highway safety than their teenagers. National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 17-22, offers parents and others an opportunity to remind the nation’s youngest drivers that driving safely is their most important task when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
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Employees
Avalanche forecaster sets record on El Capitan climb
Chantel Astorga, one of District 3’s Avalanche Forecasters located in Lowman, was part of a duo that set the female speed climbing record on Sept. 16, scaling the Nose on Yosemite’s El Capitan (3,000 vertical feet) in 10 hours and 40 minutes. Astorga and Libby Sauter, a member of Yosemite’s Search and Rescue Team, broke the record of 12 hours and 15 minutes set in 2004.
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Employees
Admin. workshop focuses on ITD operations
Administrative support personnel from throughout the state got better acquainted – with themselves and with transportation department – when they assembled Thursday for the 23rd annual Administrative/Support Staff conference in Boise.
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Highways
Studded tire season opened Oct. 1
ITD reminds drivers they can use studded tires to improve vehicle handling in snow and ice. The use of studded tires is legal from Oct. 1 through April 30. Snow has fallen in several of Idaho's higher elevations recently and likely will spread to the rest of the state as winter conditions arrive.
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Transit technology
Draft of five-year plan available for review
The final draft of a plan that will guide future transit technology investments in the Division of Transportation Performance is available for review. The 43-page Idaho 2011 Transit Technology Plan is a five-year roadmap of “where we go from here.” It focuses on public transit technologies and does not include other ITD or Transportation Performance initiatives.
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Public transportation
Mobility council to meet Tuesday in Boise
The Idaho Mobility Council (IMC), including members of the Public Transportation Advisory Council and Interagency Working Group, will meet Tuesday (Oct. 18) at the Boise Hotel and Conference Center, 3300 Vista Ave. in Boise. The public is invited to attend the meeting scheduled in the Cascade Room from 9 a.m. and to 3 p.m.
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Workshop
Meeting scheduled to help prospective federal contractors
Businesses working on federally funded contracts and subcontracts for any mode of transportation can learn about a U.S. Department of Transportation short-term financing opportunity for their projects at a free workshop Wednesday.
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Accolades
ITD, FHWA take highway safety message to fair crowds
The Idaho Division (Federal Highway Administration) wants to extend our appreciation to ITD for partnering with us to support the highway safety booth at the western Idaho fair this year (Aug. 19-28).
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National exposure
Encore (10-7-11): Reorganization garners attention from national magazine
Reorganization of the Idaho Transportation Department received more national attention this month when Roads & Bridges Magazine included a news story about the efficiency measure in its September 2011 issue.
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Efficiencies
Encore (10-7-11): D-3 Introduces two unique cost-saving measures
In these tight economic times, ITD strives to find new and innovative ways to improve efficiency and stretch available funds. District 3 in southwest Idaho has introduced a number of initiatives that help ITD achieve the most with available funding.
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Technology
Encore (10-7-11): Be careful where you go during Cyber Security Awareness Month
The most serious economic and national security challenges we face are cyber threats. America's economic prosperity and competitiveness in the 21st Century depends on effective cyber security. Every Internet user has a role to play in securing cyberspace and ensuring the safety of themselves and their families online.
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Highways
Encore (10-7-11): ITD equipment operators compete at national event
Two maintenance workers represented ITD at the annual the equipment roadeo portion of the 2011 Western Snow & Ice Conference in Estes Park, Colorado, Sept. 28-30. Mike Rearden Foreman of the District 1 Sign and Striping Crew and Kelley Dick of District 3’s Sign Crew, teamed for the Tandem-Axle and Single-Axle truck competitions.
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Training
Encore (10-7-11): Fall computer classes scheduled at HQ
Headquarters Training and Development will offer nearly a dozen computer classes this fall, beginning with Microsoft Excel on Oct. 25. MS Excel includes three full-day sessions. The first series is scheduled for Oct 25, Nov 1 and Nov 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Excel course will be offered a second time on Dec. 6, 13 and 20.
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Preparedness
Encore (10-7-11): Earthquake Awareness Month to include Oct. 20 drill
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has proclaimed October as Earthquake Awareness Month. Throughout October, the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security is working to educate Idahoans about the fact that earthquakes occur in Idaho, and there are simple things that can be done to prepare for them.
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Preparedness
Encore (10-7-11): Get ready to 'drop, cover and hold'
At 10:20 a.m., Oct. 20, thousands of Idahoans will all be dropping to the floor simultaneously. The Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the Idaho Department of Education, is conducting the Great Idaho Shakeout. The goal of the Shakeout is to familiarize everyone on the “Drop, Cover and Hold” method for personal safety during an earthquake and to practice the technique.
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