2/3/2012

Reluctant farewell
Board, employees plan sendoff for retiring Gary Blick
ITD employees are invited to join the Idaho Transportation Board as it honors retiring board member Gary Blick (District 4) Thursday after the board meeting. The festive, but reluctant, sendoff is planned for 3 p.m. in the Darrell V Manning boardroom/auditorium at Headquarters. Please join Gary’s friends and family members for the open house. Gary, a farmer and trucker from Castleford, has served on the board since March 1999. (Story does not continue.)
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Planning
Input will help shape Project Outreach Planner
Acknowledging the important role the public plays in the transportation planning process, ITD introduced a new tool that will help the department carry out its mission to improve public safety, enhance mobility and support economic opportunity statewide.
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Preparedness
District 4 first non-city to receive 'StormReady' recognition
The National Weather Service formally acknowledged District 4's efforts to document and ensure that ITD meets the standards of weather safety. The South Central Idaho StormReady Local Advisory Board awarded District 4 the National Weather Service StormReady Recognitionon on Jan. 31.
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Accolades
WTS honors Crider, I-84/Ten Mile Interchange
Monica Crider and the Interstate 84/Ten Mile Interchange project received honors last week at the annual awards banquet sponsored by the Treasure Valley chapter of Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS). The awards were presented Thursday (Jan. 26) in Meridian.
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Highway safety
Don’t fumble this Super Bowl Sunday by driving impaired
Whether you celebrate or commiserate this Super Bowl Sunday, ITD and its law enforcement partners remind fans to not drive impaired. “We know people will be going out to local bars or restaurants, or to a neighbor's or friend’s house to watch the game," explained Kevin Bechen with ITD’s Office of Highway Safety.
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Educational outreach
ITD to participate in public workshops
Learn the rules of doing business with the government at free workshops in Driggs, Preston and Blackfoot. The program will feature presenters from the ITD, the Idaho Department of Commerce, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Forest Service.
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Aeronautics
House and Senate leaders reach FAA agreement
House and Senate leaders reached agreement this week on long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) legislation to improve the nation’s aviation infrastructure, modernize the air traffic control system and reform FAA programs.
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Preparedness
Preparation needed to enjoy winter recreation
Winter recreation was put on hold this season, waiting for nature to cooperate. The snow came a little later than usual and has been followed by some warmer, rainy conditions. This combination can lead to snow pack instability and avalanches on steeper slopes.
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Legislative presentation
Encore (1-27-12): ITD outlines progress to senate, house transportation committees
Director Brian Ness and Deputy Director Scott Stokes presented ITD's annual report to the House and Senate transportation committees Thursday. Before their presentation, Transportation Board Chairman Darrell V Manning spoke about major operational changes that have taken place the past five years, especially since Ness became director in January 2010.
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Future City competition
Encore (1-27-12): Students design cities of the future today
How would you design and build a city of the future that incorporates energy conservation and healthy living? That challenge was laid on the table for students in grades six through eight across southeastern Idaho as part of the annual Future City Competition held in conjunction with National Engineering Week. The theme for this year’s event was “Fuel the Future.”
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Employees
Encore (1-27-12): Wounded vet Tom Chaney to get a feel for skis again
Tom Chaney grew up on the western flanks of the Bitterroot Mountains doing what most of the resident population does – enjoy the outdoors. But traditional winter sports are more difficult for the Port of Entry inspector stationed in Bonners Ferry. He suffered serious head injuries when a mortar exploded in his Balad, Iraq, compound.
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District 3
Encore (1027-12): Whistle at your work ...
They are often overlooked today, relics of a bygone time. But in another era they may have been as critical to ITD as the working men and women and the equipment used to build and maintain highways. One hangs inside at ITD's Southwest Idaho maintenance shop, and the other is mounted on the roof.
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Highways
Encore (1-27-12): Why does ITD close Highway 21 ...
When winter storms threaten to dump snow in Idaho's central mountains, ITD occasionally closes Idaho 21 as a precautionary measure. That sometimes prompts questions by motorists who travel the route from Banks to Lowman. "Why close the highway if there are no avalanches?" they wonder. The answers are evident in photographs.
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Highway safety
Encore (1-27-12): Research important to drive for Zero Deaths
Research plays a very important role and without it our standard of living would probably not improve very much. The type of research most think about is in the medical field. The advancement of medical science is astounding. Recently my 80 year old mother had a hip replaced and she is doing great.
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