10/19/2012

Highway speeds
Working group considers, defers action on speed differential
A special panel of legislators, trucking company representatives and other interested stakeholders met in Boise last week to discuss the variation in speed limits between passenger vehicles and semi-trucks on state highways. The working group, led by Sen. Jim Hammond, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, was evenly divided on the question of eliminating the speed differential.
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Planning
ITD launches Project Outreach Planner tool
ITD’s innovative Public Outreach Planner (POP) designed to help guide public involvement decisions and outreach efforts, was released this week. The POP is an online, interactive tool that helps employees determine when or if to begin the formal public involvement process and which options to choose.
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Dover Bridge
Dover Bridge dedication planned Oct. 26
The public is invited to join Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and other dignitaries for a dedication ceremony for the new Dover Bridge Friday (Oct. 26) at 11 a.m. under the new bridge. The event is sponsored by the city of Dover, the Bonner County Area Transportation Team and State Rep. George Eskridge.
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Accolades
Cram receives coveted AASHTO award
ITD’s Mike Cram received national recognition for work on a team that developed a compensation matrix for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ASSHTO). Cram, a specialist in the Office of Internal Review at ITD, received the Dave Campbell Quality Award (DCQA) from AASHTO’s Administrative Subcommittee on Internal and External Audit at its annual meeting recently.
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Aeronautics
State agencies discovering value of ITD flight services
State fliers who need direct access to commercial and community airports throughout the state find ITD’s air services a valuable time- and budget-saver. An increasing number of state employees are discovering the benefits of using the service
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Troubled bridge over waters
ITD steps in to help repair Elk Meadows Bridge
ITD stepped to the forefront to repair a beleaguered bridge in north-central Idaho that connects residents of a small subdivision to a rural road in Idaho County.
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Highway safety
ITD draws attention to young driver safety
National Teen Driver Safety Week, which concludes today (Oct. 20), offers parents and others an opportunity to remind the nation’s youngest drivers about the risks of the road and to not drive distracted.
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Highways
Road improvements lead to new bridge construction
Replacement of the North Fork Payette River Bridge in downtown Cascade is now under way, and two miles of pavement resurfacing in town is concluding with sign installation. Crews also are pumping and flushing the storm-sewer system on the north end of town. Although the $1.86 million roadwork is expected to finish soon, bridge construction will extend into summer 2013.
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Employees
Encore (10-12-12): Board to acknowledge professional milestones Oct. 18
The board will recognize 44 Headquarters employees and formally bid farewell to colleagues who reached the final milestone in their professional career – retirement. The fall 2012 Service Awards ceremony will begin at about 10 a.m. in the Darrel V Manning Boardroom and Auditorium.
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Preparedness
Encore (10-12-12): ITD, state agencies prepare for 'hacktivist' attacks
A dozen ITD employees discovered the challenges of restoring computer systems after a major “hacktivist” attack last week. They participated in Idaho’s first Cyber Storm mock disaster exercise, Wednesday and Thursday that was based on a cyber terrorist attack on the state’s computer system.
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Maintenance award
Encore (10-12-12): Lenz recognized for ingenuity, dedication
When it comes to keeping the wheels turning on ITD’s vehicle fleet in District 1, Pete Lenz is the critical first gear. And sometimes the last gear. He is the district’s lone surviving mechanic, the result of the district’s move to become more efficient.
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Safety award
Encore (10-12-12): Thompson models safety on road, at maintenance facilities
A veteran of three decades in District 2, Blake Thompson has distinguished himself as a model for safety both in vehicles and the facility he calls home during the day. His leadership by example earns him the ITD Safety Person of the Year award, to be presented Thursday during the Idaho Transportation Board's monthly meeting in Boise.
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Collaboration
Encore (10-12-12): ITD helps solve challenge to market state parks passes
Sometimes satisfaction comes not from doing the impossible, but the difficult – such as recent collaboration involving ITD and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
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Highway safety
Encore (10-12-12): Kids give safety messages in calendar art
Sometimes car tires look too big and people resemble sticks, but the highway safety messages young Idaho artists prepare each year for ITD’s Highway Safety Kids Calendar are serious, life-saving reminders.
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Encore (10-12-12): Compromise reached on neighbor's pristine view
Nancy Armstrong lives in the scenic mountains of south-central Idaho and enjoys the picturesque view – with a noticeable exception – ITD’s Lowman maintenance yard. Initially she asked ITD to remove two trailers it located on the grounds so her view could be restored. Logistical challenges eliminated that option, so she and ITD’s District 3 arrived at an amiable compromise.
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