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Board approves funds for scenic byway projects

The Idaho Transportation considered and approved at its April 17 meeting in Lewiston a funding proposal that will enhance informational signs statewide as part of the scenic byway program.

Scenic byway funding is available on a nationally competitive basis for routes that have been designated as a state scenic, historic, or back country byway and All American Roads and National Scenic Byways.

The Scenic Byways Advisory Committee prioritized project proposals and submitted the list to the transportation board for its consideration. The board approved the list that now will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration for approval.

The list includes a request of $811,400 in federal funds for the scenic byways. With a match of 20 percent, the total for the four projects is $1,014,250. The projects and the federal amount being requested include:

Statewide scenic byway interpretive signage, information boards, panels and kiosks for 15 byways throughout the state, $540,000
Regional marketing for the heritage assets unique to the communities and landscapes on six north-central byways, $125,000
Corridor management plan implementation for the International Selkirk Loop, $116,000
Corridor management plan implementation for the Western Heritage Historic Byway, $30,000

Draft Strategic Focus Area Plans
The Strategic Planning Team was established last year to develop a new mission, vision, and strategic plan for the Department. The charge of the four teams was to focus on:

1. Investing in our People
2. Expanding and Enhancing Partnerships
3. Leading through Agency Performance; and
4. Improving Our Customer Service Culture.

The teams were asked to make recommendations that address both short-term (0-3 years) and longer-term (3-5 years) issues. The respective team leaders provided an update to the board on their progress and outlined the following themes:

Investing in Our People: Establish, implement and sustain a set of organizational and cultural values that define ITD; be an employer of choice; and create and maintain a positive work environment where people thrive.

Expanding and Enhancing Partnerships: Establish a partnership culture and policies; identify and validate existing partnerships; and identify and establish future partnerships.

Leading through Agency Performance: Identify, evaluate, and define successful agency performance management; identify and describe appropriate models; develop an implementation plan; and establish a performance management office.

Improving Our Customer Service Culture: Assess customer satisfaction with current products and service delivery and determine necessary improvements; and develop an ITD customer service change management and implementation plan.

Board members expressed support for the themes and the direction of the teams.

Idaho’s Mobility and Access Pathway
In November, the Division of Public Transportation initiated a process to evaluate the status and desired future of public transportation in Idaho. The intent was to produce a vision for a meaningful and viable public transportation environment based on Idahoans’ actual needs and circumstances.

More than 600 stakeholders were involved in the planning process. This effort resulted in the development of Idaho’s Mobility and Access Pathway (IMAP). (See related story) It defines the vision for mobility and describes a new paradigm for mobility services based on a premise called mobility management that emphasizes how to best move people instead of focusing on a particular mode of transportation.

Some of the notable aspects of IMAP are:

The approach fully supports and complements the direction provided in “Idaho’s Transportation Vision 2004-2034”
The user is the primary customer for all stakeholders
Public transportation is relevant in Idaho
Transportation needs are best defined by local communities
Success relies on local leadership and commitment
Significant need for coordination exists, especially between urban and rural communities
Idaho’s rural nature makes mobility management more challenging, and
The system and services need to strike a balance between efficiency and effectiveness

The board commended the individuals who participated in the visioning process. It authorized ITD staff to continue efforts to build a statewide coalition of mobility management stakeholders with the intent of further defining and pursuing statewide multi-modal, coordinated transportation based on a system of mobility management.

The Division of Public Transportation will report back to the board when draft local network plans are completed, and as significant milestones are achieved and it becomes appropriate for the board to consider further action.