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2-22-08
Transportation
funding
Tough
economy not good reason for procrastinating
There’s been lots of talk lately about
our cooling economy and its impact on the
state budget. Some legislators are even
talking about delaying a serious investment
in addressing our mounting backlog of highway
work. “Too expensive,” they
say. “Better wait ‘til times
get better.”
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Greenhouse
Gas reduction
Group
completes action plan, forwards to DEQ
ITD
employees commuting to and from work contribute
an estimated 3,468 tons of carbon dioxide
to the earth’s atmosphere annually,
according to a greenhouse gas report submitted
to the Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality. The 2008-09 Greenhouse Gas Emission
Reduction Action Plan was created in response
to an executive order issued by Gov. C.L.
“Butch” Otter last May.
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Alternative
work schedule could cut emissions
ITD
may consider expanding options for alternative
commuting times and work schedules as part
of its Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction
Action Plan – as long as altered schedules
do not negatively impact the department’s
commitment to customer service.
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Winter
Marooned motorists find shelter amidst
a storm
No
one expected the 700 to 800 motorists
stranded last weekend in Swan Valley to
be happy campers! Blowing and drifting
snow closed U.S. 26 between Swan Valley
and Ririe just after lunch on Thursday,
Feb. 7, and the severe conditions persisted
for two days. Traffic backed up more than
a mile – both on U.S. 26 and on
Idaho 31, which intersects U.S. 26 in
Swan Valley – unable to proceed
until Saturday afternoon.
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Open
and shut case: Crews battled to keep highways
clear
If
you think it’s been difficult to
travel from point A to point B during
the relentless waves of winter early this
month, there’s good reason. All
six of ITD’s districts reported
at least one closure and one highway in
District 6 was closed nine times.
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Survey
says...
Drivers
provide input about I-84 conditions
Responses
to a telephone survey conducted Jan. 17-20
by Elway Research, Inc. will serve as a
benchmark by which ITD and motorists will
judge the outcome of a $113 million improvement
and expansion project for the heavily traveled
6.2-mile Interstate 84 corridor from Garrity
(Nampa) to Meridian interchanges.
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Employees
HRS urges employees to ensure beneficiaries
are up to date
Life
changes. Have you kept up? Changes could
affect beneficiaries of the life insurance
and supplemental life insurance policies
offered as part of ITD employment, supplemental
life insurance through the National Conference
on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)
and survivor benefits through the Public
Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI).
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Highway
Safety
Mobilizations
scheduled to curb impaired driving
Drivers,
be forewarned: more highway safety mobilizations
targeting impaired drivers are planned for
2008. Law enforcement agencies throughout
Idaho will participate in impaired driving
mobilizations March 12-19 (St. Patrick’s
Day), July 2-7 (Independence Day), Aug.
20 – Sept. 3 (Labor Day) and Dec.
19 – Jan. 2, 2009 (Christmas and New
Year’s Day).
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Legislature
Bell won't be tolling on Idaho highways
this year
Idaho already has the authority to set up
state toll roads, thanks to a long-unused
state law - and some lawmakers want to expand
that to local highway districts, as a new
way to fund urgent local road and bridge
improvements.But while praising Sen. Tim
Corder for innovative thinking, the Senate
Transportation Committee killed the bill,
SB 1360.
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ITD
Mailbox
•
'Team player' facilitates FHWA agreement
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Winter
... It's snow picnic
Crews
labor overtime to keep highways open
Winter returned to Idaho in December and
it’s been vastly different than the
conditions motorists grew accustomed to
the past few years. The first snowfall in
northern and eastern Idaho did not provide
a hint of what was to come. December gave
way to January and normal gave way to extraordinary.
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New
avalanches set back cleanup of U.S. 12
Conditions
improved this week on Idaho’s highways,
thanks to a short reprieve from the weather.
But the calendar – and history –
suggests winter has not run its full course
yet. U.S. 12 remained closed between Lowell
and Lolo Pass as crews remove avalanche debris
from the highway. They made significant progress
the previous week and hoped to restore traffic
early this week. But the discovery Tuesday
of two new large avalanches will extend the
closure into a third week.
Continue
Users
of 511 Traveler Services weight in on system
Winter weather and resulting highway challenges
elevated use the past two months of the 511
Traveler Services Web and telephone system
to record levels. Many of the people responding
to the system, introduced in 2005, have recommended
changes that ultimately will lead to an even
better, more responsive system.
Continue
Transportation
Board
Governor
appoints Gagner to fill District 6 spot on board
Gov.
C.L. “Butch” Otter Thursday appointed
Lee Gagner (GAHN’-yay), an Idaho Falls
builder/developer and former four-term Republican
member of the Idaho House of Representatives,
to fill the eastern Idaho position on the Idaho
Transportation Board.
He succeeds John X. Combo of Idaho Falls, whose
term expired Jan. 31.
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511
Traveler Services
Telephone system to move from Atlanta to Iowa
The telephone system that supports Idaho’s
511 Traveler Services will relocate from an
IBM call center in Atlanta to a facility operated
by Qwest Communications in Ames, Iowa, beginning
Monday said Alison Lantz, manager of Idaho’s
system.
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Employees
ITD
fills two positions that have statewide impact
ITD recently filled two positions that have statewide
responsibilities. Amy Schroeder was named the
new GARVEE Program Engineer, effective Feb. 10,
and Adam Rush was chosen to be ITD’s public
involvement coordinator.
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Environment
ITD
employees offer suggestions to reduce paper use
Matt
Moore, Administrator of the Division of Transportation
Planning and Programming, recently received a tip
for reducing paper consumption – simply expand
the margins by one-half inch on both sides of a
document. Several ITD employees, in response to
the Feb. 1 Transporter article, suggested taking
the concept a couple of additional steps.
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Customer
service
ITD installs telephones to help hearing impaired
Telephones to receive incoming calls from members
of the public who are hearing impaired and are
using a TDD have been installed at Headquarters
and district offices. In addition to the phone
that has been located in DMV for some time, others
recently were installed at the Headquarters information
kiosk and at the reception desk in each district.
Continue
Digital
television
FCC
urges viewers to prepare for digital transition
As
many people already may know, on Feb.17, 2009,
full power broadcast television stations will
stop broadcasting in analog format and will continue
broadcasting in digital only, the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) announces.
Continue
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