Highways
Sand Creek Byway bid of $98 million approved
The Idaho Transportation Board approved a construction bid for the Sand Creek Byway project on June 19, clearing one of the final hurdles for the largest single highway construction contract in ITD’s history. Approval came during the board’s June business meeting in Boise. Parsons RCI, of Sumner, Wash., is the successful bidder at $98.4 million.

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Transportation board
Oregon official explains mileage tax experiment
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), based on a legislative mandate to research alternatives to the traditional fuel taxes, established a unique pilot project to collect a fee based on miles traveled. James Whitty, manager of the ODOT’s Office of Innovative Partnerships and Alternative Funding, reviewed results of the 12-month pilot project for members of the Idaho Transportation Board.
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Planning
STIP available for public review, comments
NOTE: The STIP will not be available online until Thursday, July 3. Please check it then.
The draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for fiscal years 2009-2013 is available throughout Idaho for public comment. The document identifies approximately $1 billion in transportation-related projects planned for construction through the year 2013, plus those planned for the first three bonding authorizations of the GARVEE Transportation Program as approved by the Idaho Legislature.
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Awards
Five awards presented for Transportation Excellence
The Idaho Transportation department paid homage Thursday to some of the state’s most successful transportation-related projects and most of the recipients were family members. Two of the Excellence in Transportation awards acknowledged extraordinary work in public participation – I-84, Cole to Broadway Soundwalls and I-84, Broadway to Eisenman rehabilitation. Other awards were given for transportation planning, environmental stewardship and construction.
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DMV Modernization project receives technology award
A technology project that vastly improves the exchange information between ITD’s Division of Motor Vehicles and local licensing/registration offices was named the state’s best “government-to-government” project. Gov. C.L. “Butch Otter” presented the award Wednesday during the monthly meeting of the Information Technology Resource Management Council (ITRMC) that also honored several other state agencies for innovative uses of technology.
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CADD project named semifinalist in Bentley awards
ITD’s ambitious project to upgrade an antiquated – and sometimes disjointed – computer aided drafting and design (CADD) system statewide emerged as a semifinalist in international competition this spring. The first phase of the project to standardize CADD software and improve workstations throughout the department  was in competition for the 2008 BE (Bentley Engineering) Awards of Excellence.
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Public Transportation
Board approves statewide Rideshare program
The Idaho Transportation Board last week unanimously approved the statewide licensing of “Rideshareonline.com” as a Web based ride-match system in support of local rideshare programs throughout the State of Idaho and Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter’s Trip Reduction Policy. Ride-sharing refers to carpooling and vanpooling in which vehicles carry additional passengers.
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Independent living group commended
The Idaho Transportation Board commended the Idaho State Independent Living Council (SILC) and the Division of Public Transportation for pooling and leveraging resources through an inspirational partnership with the goal of creating “Local Mobility Management Networks” throughout the state in support of efficient, effective and intelligent transportation options that are accessible and seamless.
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Safety
Keep safety in mind when celebrating the Fourth
It's time for the backyard barbecues, fireworks and fun in the sun with family and friends. Less visible to celebrants, safety professionals are thinking about E. coli, fires and heat illness. (This kind of thinking is an occupational hazard for ITD’s Safety Team!) So to help workers host safe celebrations, let's take a look at some common summertime hazards and how to address them.
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Trip reduction
Deadline nears for completing commuting form
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has directed state employees to participate in a Trip Reduction Employee Survey that documents how they commute to work and their efforts to reduce travel or find alternative transportation. Employees should complete the form that addresses their commutes during the period of June 15-28. Completed tracking forms should be sent to your respective administrative assistant by Tuesday (July 1).
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Environment
Aggressive avalanche program reduces closures, aids safety
Explosive measures were used this winter to cut avalanche-related closures in half on the state’s most avalanche-prone highway, Idaho 21. The route, one of Idaho's most popular winter recreation corridors and host to most of the state's highway avalanches, typically is closed 60 days per year. Because of an aggressive avalanche control program, the highway was closed just 30 days this winter.
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Fitness
First Lady forms team for St. Luke's celebration
Idaho’s First Lady, Lori Otter recently announced the formation of a special team that will compete in the St. Luke’s Women’s Fitness Celebration. The annual event, which takes place on Sept. 20 this year, includes a 5-kilometer run and a walk-and-stroll for all ages and all abilities for women and children.
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Highway safety
Patrols to target Fourth of July DUIs
ITD reminds drivers that law enforcement agencies throughout Idaho will participate in targeted patrols to arrest impaired drivers July 2-7. About 32 state, county and local law enforcement agencies will participate in the Fourth of July holiday emphasis patrols that are funded through a federal grant administered by ITD.
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Celebrating a long,
distinguished
career

Friends, family and colleagues pause to wish Steve Hutchinson farewell as he trades the chief engineer's desk for a life of leisure and retirement Thursday.

 

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HRD training schedule
	Sept. 10, 11	Managing Performance
	Oct. 28-30	Basic Communication
	Nov. 18-20	Intermediate Communication
	Dec. 9-11	Introduction to Supervision

Public Transportation
Transit information to be included on 511 system
The ITD Division of Public Transportation will partner with the Division of Highways to fund a major enhancement to Idaho’s Traveler Information Service (511), integrating transit-related information and making the system truly multi-modal. Soon, transit users will be able to obtain information regarding statewide public transportation services.
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Engineering
Girls learn engineering can be a fun, challenging career
Monica Crider, ITD engineer, and Erika Stoddard, an ITD engineer in training, told high school sophomores and juniors that “scientists typically research and discover new theories and engineers apply them to create solutions. Engineers can be fun people, not boring ‘shoe watchers...” said Crider recently at a workshop for girls interested in the engineering profession.
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Highways
Newcomers vault to top of 'Roadeo' ladder
In a sense, it was a changing of the guard… several new drivers emerged  as top performers at the state roadeo competition recently held at the Shoshone/Twin Falls maintenance shed in District 4. Six district roadeos and the culminating state finals test the knowledge and skills of ITD equipment operators.  Pete McGuire of District 4 and Mike Allen of District 2 earned trips to the national competition this fall in Colorado, and Martin Meyers of District 3 trailed close behind in third.
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Highway Safety
Popularity of scooters prompts awareness
Warm weather and soaring gasoline prices have more Idahoans parking cars and trucks at home and trying motor scooters as a less expensive means to commute to work, shop and complete other daily tasks. Many recent motor scooter buyers in Idaho are new to riding and have little experience riding in traffic, do not wear proper safety gear and fail to understand the risks of riding two-wheeled vehicles.
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ITD retiree inducted into Idaho Engineering Hall of Fame
Jim Pline, whose contributions to the engineering profession date back more than 50 years to 1954, was inducted into the Idaho Engineering Hall of Fame during the organization’s annual meeting recently in Boise. Pline retired after 35 years from ITD as the roadway design supervisor at Headquarters in 1987,
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Girls State
Hazelton teen takes ITD reins... symbolically
Of the 300 girls participating in the annual Girls State leadership conference, 10 percent were chosen to visit with some of the state’s largest public employers, and Olivia Tateoko of Hazelton (just outside of Rupert) was among the special delegates. She was chosen to to symbolically head the Idaho Transportation Department.
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