12/13/2019

Safety Corner
Why Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) applies to us all
The 2019 Safety Stand Down is just around the corner, on Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. MST. As the event time approaches, one of the common questions from office dwellers like myself is how CISM relates to those of us who likely never will be the responder to a crash scene. How does CISM apply to the 500 of us who are not Highways employees? Turns out, the answer is Family.
Continue

Excellence
Rising star Ramón Hobdey-Sánchez wins Vanguard Award
Call him an up-and-comer. Call him a rising star. It’s all true. Ramón Hobdey-Sánchez, who came on board in May 2015 in the Governmental Affairs unit, won the Vanguard Award Dec. 12 for the trail he has blazed as a fast-burner in his short time at ITD. His practical knowledge and technical experience were never in question, but he quickly moved beyond those baseline skills.
Continue

Excellence
511 Program Manager Tony Ernest wins coveted Kimbol Allen Innovation Award
In November 2005, the 511 Idaho Traveler Information site was launched. Since then, there have been 42 million visits to the site, along with several versions and upgrades along the way. Tony Ernest has submitted and overseen implementation of 23 innovations since 2015 — all of them improvements to the service provided to road users each day.
Continue

District 5
Northgate opening Dec. 6 marks fulfillment of extensive process, unique partnership
Three years after negotiations began, and 11 years after District 5 first mentioned the need for a new interchange at the location, the new Northgate Interchange opened to traffic on Dec. 6. It was fueled by a unique public-private partnership that brought the Interstate 15 interchange to reality at least two decades sooner than anticipated.
Continue

District 4
Travel Tales: Trey Mink's Big Apple Experience
Over the years, I have been blessed with opportunities to travel. While the “getting” to various places is not always the most enjoyable experience, I almost always have an abundance of notable memories to take with me back home. Sharing highlights of my own and, more importantly, hearing of other people’s ventures is something I have always found enjoyable, and think others might as well.
Continue

Excellence
Four decades of service to ITD earn D2’s Ken Helm the Career Achievement Award
Ken Helm, who has served at ITD since 1978, won the Excellence in Transportation award at the event Dec. 12 in front of the Idaho Transportation Board. Helm started as a Draftsman, a position no longer in existence, just four years after the department changed its name from Department of Highways to ITD.
Continue

Employee Spotlight
Innovation Steward Profile: Junior Williams, District 1
Innovate ITD has seen impressive growth since starting in the spring of 2014. In that first year, only 5% of ITD employees participated in the innovation effort. It increased to 15% the following year, and has hovered between 30%-40% ever since. In order to take that next step in growth for the initiative, employees need to know who to turn to for assistance. This week, we profile Chris (Junior) Williams of District 1:
Continue

District 3
Construction of new bridge over Snake River reaches halfway point
Moderate temperatures at the beginning of the winter have allowed construction crews to progress on the Idaho Highway 55 bridge over the Snake River in Marsing. The team just hit a major milestone: one side of the new bridge opened to traffic this week. This project has been a major one in the rural town on the Owyhee/Canyon County border. Starting last spring, the project will replace an old, dilapidated bridge and completely rebuild the highway through the heart of Marsing.
Continue

Career Development
ITD Job Openings
The current list of job openings may help inform employees of the career choices available to them that make ITD a great place to work. It also may assist in external recruitment when looking for the best candidates.
Continue