June 26, 2009
Governor Otter
Governor announces members of transportation task force
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter Tuesday named a 15-member task force of legislators and private individuals – led by Lieutenant Governor Brad Little – to consider how best to modernize the user-pay fee system for financing maintenance and improvements to Idaho’s roads and bridges. The announcement came as the governor helped break ground on the $33.8 million, GARVEE-funded Ten Mile Interchange on Interstate 84 in Meridian.
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Transportation board
Historic Oregon Trail route added to back country system
The Idaho Transportation Board approved the addition of another historic route to Idaho’s back country byway system when it met last week in Boise. The Main Oregon Trail Back Country Byway will focus attention on Idaho’s segment of the Oregon Trail that led to settlement of the Northwest. The Main Oregon Trail Back Country Byway is a 102-mile route that begins at Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry and travels northwesterly along a route that parallels the Old Oregon Trail. It ends north of I-84 by the Blacks Creek Interchange east of Boise.
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Highways
Governor, dignitaries break ground for new interchange
Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter joined business and government leaders and citizens this afternoon to formally launch a construction project that will create more than 600 jobs and add a new gateway into Meridian. More than 200 people participated in a groundbreaking ceremony that signals the beginning of construction on the new Ten Mile Interchange over Interstate 84. Targeted for completion in 2011, the interchange will be the first new built in the Treasure Valley since 2006.
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Bids opened for two eastern Idaho stimulus projects
Knife River Construction Inc., of Boise, is the apparent low bidder on the Interstate 86, Chubbuck Interchange to Pocatello Creek Interchange project that will add a 3.4-mile auxiliary lane and reduce morning and evening congestion on the heavily traveled commuter route. The apparent low bid was $8 million. The project was estimated to cost $11 million. HK Contractors Inc., of Idaho Falls, is the apparent low bidder to widen Idaho 48 to three lanes, add a right-turn bay to the high school entrance, include a bike lane on both sides of the street and install curb, gutter and sidewalk along the busy route in Rigby.
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Girls State
High school views transportation from new perspective
“Chemistry and archaeology were some of the last things I expected!” exclaimed Destiny McCoy after recently spending most of the day visiting ITD. Communication specialist June Sparks accompanied McCoy as part of Syringa Girls Day, an annual event where high school girls are assigned to businesses and government agencies where they explore career possibilities.
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Education
Women engineers explain passion for profession
It seems the recipe for making good asphalt works just as well for tasty cookies, with a few substitutions. ITD engineers Monica Crider and Jayme Coonce demonstrated how asphalt is made by helping young women, grades 9-10, make cookies during the fifth annual e-Girls workshop recently at Boise State University.
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Safe Routes to School
Training encourages 'non-infrastructure' projects
Representatives from schools and communities across Idaho attended the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) workshop and ribbon cutting in Ketchum last month to learn about successful projects under way in Idaho and across the nation. Their intent was to create similar community-based programs that promote walking and biking to school. Teachers, city officials, law enforcement and public works attended the training.
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Employees
Team created to develop new employee orientation program
One of the focus areas of the ITD’s 2009 Strategic Plan is to enhance the investment in our employees. A key area of employee satisfaction is based on how new employees are integrated into the organization. As a result, a New Employee Orientation Team has been formed to design a program that will more effectively orient new employees into an organization that welcomes them, helps them feel valued, and assist them in navigating the workplace and its culture.
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Ada County
County announces drug discount card
The Board of Ada County Commissioners this week unveiled a free program to help Ada County residents cope with the high price of prescription drugs in this still-sagging economy. The Prescription Drug Discount Card, sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and CVS Caremark, allows uninsured or underinsured county residents to save an average of 22 percent off the retail price of prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, including pet medications.
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ITD Mailbox
• Quick action helped to avert tragedy
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Stimulus projects
Apparent low bid for I-84/Vista 54 percent below projection
Central Paving Co. Inc. of Boise is the apparent low bidder for reconstruction of the Vista Avenue Interchange, one of the eight highway construction projects in Idaho that will use federal stimulus funds to create jobs, help boost Idaho's economy and upgrade our infrastructure for future economic growth.
The low bid was for $17.8 million, about 54 percent below the project's estimated cost of $39 million..
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$8.7 million in stimulus funds awarded for public transportation
Idahoans will have improved access to public transportation and increased mobility because of 21 projects receiving federal stimulus funding. Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter approved more than $8.7 million in federal stimulus funding to put more Idahoans to work and improve transportation options. The public transportation projects are calculated to generate or preserve approximately 155 jobs.
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Highways
Seal Coat season begins
The arrival of spring also marks the beginning of annual paving operations throughout Idaho to improve and preserve the state's roadway surfaces. One of those operations is seal coating. In Idaho, most highway seal coating takes place between June 15 and the end of August. .
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Carpenter, Sargent emerge as roadeo kings
If Rick Carpenter and Sean Sargent ever wanted to experience the great Rockies in the fall, this is their chance. The two punched tickets to Estes Park, Colo., and the 2009 Western Snow and Ice Conference by claiming first and second place in overall scoring at the state Roadeo recently.
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Aeronautics
ITD pilots connect dots, passengers
ITD’s Division of Aeronautics spent Tuesday connecting the dots – and passengers with their destinations – in perhaps one of the busiest days ever for the state’s twin-engine turboprop King Air. Between its initial 7:42 a.m. departure and its final arrival in Boise at 10:36 p.m. the plane and pilots touched down in Coeur d’Alene, McCall, Lewiston, Spokane and Pullman, Wash. Passengers almost could see themselves coming while going.
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Alternative transportation
ITD earns silver in annual May In Motion
ITD employees are making a positive difference in efforts to improve the Treasure Valley’s air quality and reduce congestion by choosing alternative transportation to reach their work site. Employees stepped up ITD’s participation in this year’s May In Motion program that promotes the use of public transportation, van and carpools, and bicycles.
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Bridge
Groups discuss how to replace remote bridge
Tucked between towering peaks south of Yellow Pine, the single-lane bridge that provides access to the Johnson Creek backcountry airstrip was put into place 50 years ago, the product of a diverse group of volunteers. Groups with equally diverse interests now are assessing the best way to replace the bridge while maintaining river flow, fish movement and vehicle traffic to the popular airstrip.
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District 1's Justin Wuest and wife, prepare for grueling Ironman
| UPDATE: It's official - Justin and Holly made it to the finish line of the Ironman competition. Justin recorded a time of 11:36:19, and his wife finished in 16:38:02. Congratulations Ironman (and Ironwoman). |
 "It's kind of his idea to do this," Holly Wuest said with a smile and glance at her husband, Justin, sitting next to her in the kitchen of their Dalton Gardens home. Justin, 26, an engineer in ITD's District 1, and Holly will compete in the Ford Ironman competition this weekend in Coeur d'Alene. While it will be his second, it will be her first, so he had to do just a little convincing to talk her into signing up.
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