11/9/2012

Veterans Day
Honoring those who serve our nation with courage
ITD joins other state and federal agencies in extending its appreciation to all who have served in the military, protecting our freedom and preserving the high ideals of the U.S. Constitution. On Veterans Day 2012 we thank ITD employees and family members for giving unselfishly. We salute you.
Continue

Transportation board
Board schedules Tuesday workshop, Wednesday meeting
The Idaho Transportation Board will discuss the Idaho Corridor Analysis and Planning System (ICAPS), potential impacts of the new federal transportation bill and contractual agreements during a Tuesday workshop in Boise. The discussion will be a prelude to the board’s monthly business meeting that begins at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Continue

Highways
ITD inspectors feel heat at East Boise Port of Entry
Work used to be relatively quiet, maybe even mundane, for Caleb Forrey until he traded the Marsing Port of Entry for the much busier East Boise Port of Entry Oct. 29. But he probably wasn't expecting the warm welcome he received in his second week at his new location.
Continue

Legislators
ITD schedules legislative outreach series
Director Brian Ness and other ITD executives will discuss transportation and related topics with legislators throughout the state next month as a prelude to the 2013 Legislative session. The annual legislative outreach meetings give ITD representatives a chance to showcase the department's accomplishments and its service to the citizens of Idaho.
Continue

Highway safety
Fatalities on upward trend, but likely to be less than 200
Brent Jennings: As we see the end of 2012 on the horizon, I am often asked how Idaho is doing with regard to fatalities on our roadways.
Continue

Partnerships
ITD provides tools — two dump trucks —for hands-on learning
It’s often called "repurposing," converting something of diminishing or no value into a new, productive use. ITD has a history of “repurposing” or breathing new life into surplus equipment, usually computers and technology. The practice expanded recently when District 1 completed the transfer of two vehicles to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus in Rathdrum.
Continue

Employees
Support workshop focuses on customer service
Approximately 65 ITD support staff from throughout the state learned more about the department and its emphasis on customer service when they assembled for the annual administrative support workshop in Boise Wednesday.
Continue

Helping Santa
ITD to deliver early Christmas gift to Idaho Capitol
ITD will lend Santa a big hand -- and a big truck -- again this year by transporting the state Christmas tree from its home on Cassia and Orchard streets in Boise a few miles northeast to the steps of the Idaho Capitol Building. The journey will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday (Nov. 16).  
Continue

Preparedness
Advent of winter brings hypothermia warning
Cold weather and freezing temperatures are right around the corner as are the host of outdoor activities that many enjoy in the late fall and throughout the winter. However, prolonged exposure to cold weather can lead to a serious health condition called hypothermia.
Continue

Employees
Tips for saving money on health care
Blue Cross of Idaho: We know health insurance coverage can't really compete when it comes to exciting news. But there are some insurance tips that can help keep you and your family healthy and even save you money—and that's pretty exciting.
Continue

Transparency
Encore (11-2-12): New tracking feature added to innovative dashboard
ITD recently introduced a new dashboard tool that tracks the efficiency of construction projects, contrasting the final cost of a project with the initial contract award. Confining final costs within a 5 percent range (higher or lower) reflects improved efficiency and helps ensure the best use of taxpayer funds.
Continue

Highways
Encore (11-2-12): When a plan comes together ... all is smooth
The plan to keep traffic safe and moving worked like a charm. District 6 slowed rather than reroute or stop night traffic on Interstate 15 to place girders for the new Pancheri Drive overpass south of Idaho Falls and to remove the old bridge adjacent to it.
Continue

Bridge dedication
Encore (11-2-12): It was a big day for Dover on Friday
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter and a clutch of other dignitaries gathered beneath the new Dover Bridge to dedicate the long-awaited and badly needed span on U.S. Highway 2. City officials and local lawmakers have been pushing for replacement of the dilapidated 75-year-old bridge for nearly two decades.
Continue

Dover facts
Encore (11-2-12): A look at Dover Bridge past and future
It was labeled one of the country's most pressing structural needs by a national magazine and received one of the lowest deficiency marks possible for a bridge. That was the old Dover Bridge. Today, northern Idaho residents enjoy a new, modern structure. Follow the project trail.
Continue