12/16/2011

Transportation board
Board Chairman Darrell Manning announces retirement
Darrell V Manning announced his retirement this week as chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board. Manning has chaired the seven-member citizen board that oversees the Idaho Transportation Department since 2007. The chairman of the board is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor.
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Freight planning
Summit kicks off rail, freight planning efforts
The efficient movement of freight through and within Idaho is essential for a robust economy and could become a significant factor in achieving Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s Project 60 plan to grow the state’s annual gross domestic product. How important is freight to the state’s economy, present and future? The answer is evident in the turnout for the first Idaho Freight Summit and Rail Plan, at Boise State University Tuesday.
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Organ donations
ITD helps celebrate gift of life
ITD helps celebrate gift of life through organ donor program Lacey Haye continues to give long after she was taken. If you could meet her today, you would be captivated by her charming personality, compassion, wit and generosity. You’d be drawn to her, and you would love her just as family members and friends did.You’ll not have that chance, though.
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Transportation board
Board 'adopts' new segment into highway system
Adopting a highway took on new meaning Wednesday (Dec. 14), when the Idaho Transportation Board voted to accept a portion of new highway in central Idaho. Reconstruction of the Elba-Almo highway in southern Cassia County was the last of several hurdles in a long process to turn the local route into Idaho Highway 77 Spur.
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Highway safety
Driver inattention causes most crashes
Highway Safety Office Winter weather is here and the busy holiday season is in full swing so it is more important than ever to pay close attention to driving safely. A growing number of studies show that driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes.
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Highway safety
Don’t drive impaired
Using federal grant funds, ITD is partnering with Idaho law enforcement agencies to make highways safer by funding education campaigns and high-visibility impaired driving enforcement patrols from Dec. 17 through New Year’s Day.
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Highway safety
Traffic fatalities decline nationally despite increased travel
Brent Jennings, PE Highway Safety Manager Friday (Dec. 9) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) informed our office that the national 2010 fatality count fell to 32,885, the lowest level since 1949. The record-breaking national decline in traffic fatalities occurred even as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year or an increase of 1.6 percent over the 2009 level.
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Planned bridge replacement mentioned in national publication
A project to replace the bridge over the East Fork of the Salmon River in Custer County recently received mention in a national publication. The current issue of “Innovator,” a newsletter of the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, D.C., reported that ITD will replace the bridge “entirely with precast concrete bridge elements.
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Employees
Districts join in holiday giving spirit
Christmas giving has been a hallmark of ITD for decades. Many of the district offices make annual contributions to local charities. The latest effort came Wednesday (Dec. 14) when the District 3 office handed over boxes filled with toys for the Salvation Army to Boise’s KTVB Channel 7 representatives for its annual Christmas Toy Drive.
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Highways
Encore (12-09-11): Wing plows clear wider swath
New wing plows will be added to ITD's fleet of snow removal equipment in southwest Idaho this winter to improve the department's ability to clear highways. ITD reminds motorists to be cautious and patient when driving near them because the wing plow extends an additional 8-10 feet on the right side of a regular snowplow.
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Cultural diversity
Encore (12-09-11): Dr. Vincent Kituku: 'We're more alike than we realize'
Dr. Vincent Muli Kituku comes with a lot of titles: University professor. Author. Motivational speaker. Trainer. Life philosopher. Husband and father. The native of Kenya shares his varied background and a life of observations with audiences throughout the country.
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Highways
Encore (12-09-11): Sand Creek Byway construction to continue through winter
Work will continue on the Sand Creek Byway in Sandpoint through the winter. The new route should open to traffic in the spring or early summer, months earlier than initially expected. Crews will complete work on a number of safety features that must be in place before allowing traffic onto the roadway. This includes signs and the end treatments, or impact attenuators, connected to the structure.
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Highways
Encore (12-09-11): Commuters, airmen benefit from repairs to I-84
A project to correct severe pavement deficiencies on Interstate 84's eastbound lanes between Boise and Mountain Home, under way since mid-July, likely will finish before Christmas. The final traffic switch occurred Wednesday night (Dec. 7), as eastbound traffic was switched back over to the eastbound side of the freeway. It had shared the other side of the interstate with westbound traffic.
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Winter preparation
Encore (12-09-11): Will your car go in freezing rain and snow?
Ada City-County Emergency Management (ACCEM) ‘Tis the season to be out shopping, going skiing or traveling to visit family and friends. It also is a time of year when many will find themselves going somewhere in their motor vehicle when weather and road conditions may not be the best.
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