October 9, 2009
Note: The Transporter will not be published Friday, Oct. 16, as regularly scheduled.
Instead, it will be updated the following Monday, Oct. 19. |
Transportation board
Performance workshop to begin three-day meeting
The Idaho Transportation Board will discuss the department’s performance management process and progress toward compliance with a governor’s executive order on the first day of a three-day meting next week in Boise. The Tuesday workshop will focus on “continuous improvement: our efforts to be an industry leader.” The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the District 3 office.
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Technology
GIS-based Web application gives new depth to highway system
Every mile of Idaho’s state highways holds a story, and a new Geographic Information Systems-based Web site developed at ITD will make that story easier to tell. The new ITD Highway Information Web site provides users with detailed highway information for each mile of the state’s highway system, such as physical condition of the pavement, average daily traffic counts or number of motor vehicle crashes.
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Aeronautics
Ceremony planned for Emmett airport project
Pilots destined for the Emmett city airport are finding their arrival much smoother than it used to be, thanks to a community partnership that reconstructed the runway. The project is a culmination of about five years of projects that have significantly improved the airport as an economic centerpiece for the community.
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Employees
Flu clinics scheduled at HQ, District 3
ITD will join the battle against seasonal flu by offering vaccination clinics at Headquarters Oct. 28 in the Auditorium and on Nov. 5 at the District 3 office. As in the recent past, employees will pay $20 at the clinic and should be eligible for reimbursement. Checks should be made to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, which will conduct the clinic. Cash payments of exactly $20 also will be accepted.
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CDHD provides influenza update
Sept.1 was the official start date of the 2009-2010 influenza season, and we are starting fresh in our H1N1 case counting. As of Oct. 1, there have been 82 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza in our health district. Five of those stricken were hospitalized. On Sept. 29, Southwest District Health reported Idaho’s first H1N1-related fatality. The man, in his 50s, was a Canyon County resident and was known to have underlying medical conditions.
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School zones
Parents, students learn benefits of walking to school
They arrived hand-in-hand, wearing tennis shoes and carrying backpacks. Some walked with parents; some as part of a migrating mass; others shuffled along in small groups with classmates. Throughout Idaho, children made their trek to school on foot Wednesday rather than carpooling or riding in their parents’ SUV. From Sandpoint to Idaho Falls and many communities between, children participated in the annual International Walk to School day.
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History
Memoirs of late district engineer published
Boyd Rood had a passion for his profession and a deep affection for his art. Both come vividly alive in “Highway Memories – Good Times, Great Friends,” a memoir and portfolio. Rood, an engineer who enjoyed assignments throughout Idaho during his 30-year career, passed away in May 2008. But his memories of the department and his many colleagues are captured in the 80-page book.
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Public transportation
CTAI gives presentation to task force
The Community Transportation Association of Idaho (CTAI) appeared before Governor Otter’s Transportation Funding Taskforce on Oct. 8 – as the taskforce assesses transportation needs across the state. CTAI’s message emphasized the value of mobility options and local, coordinated mobility planning – which provides local communities the ability to plan for their unique mobility needs.
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Highway safety
AAA urges drivers to focus on driving
Multi-tasking is a fact of life – we all face constant demands for our time, and we all have to juggle more than ever before. Unfortunately, many people multi-task while driving, which is NEVER a good idea. Being distracted behind the wheel for even just a few seconds greatly increases your chance of a crash.
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ITD mailbox
Superior job finished in a timely manner
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News to Share
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Views to Share
Do you have a question related to ITD processes, policies or projects? Has something been puzzling you about why we do what we do? Share your questions using the e-mail link above and let us find the answers.
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Stimulus grants
ITD applies for three federal TIGER grants
ITD recently submitted three grant applications totaling $169.4 million, seeking a portion of the $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The three projects are aimed at enhancing economic opportunity by creating jobs for Idahoans and improving the efficiency of freight movement across the state.
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Technology
Cyber security awareness emphasized
ITD joins other Idaho departments and local agencies in recognizing October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). As part of the awareness campaign, ITD reminds employees to use appropriate safeguards when using the Internet and e-mail communication, whether at work or at home. October marks the sixth annual National Cyber security Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, explains ITD Cyber Security Officer Forrest Anderson.Check out the latest Idaho cyber security newsletter: http://cio.idaho.gov/pdf/security_newsletter_200910.pdf
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Cyber security sessions planned at Headquarters
Terry Pobst-Martin, Idaho’s chief information officer, will return to ITD Headquarters several times in October to remind employees of the need for online and e-mail vigilance. Past presentations in the Auditorium have drawn near capacity audiences when Pobst-Martin provided statistics about online security assaults and measures that Web users can take to keep their computers and identify safer.
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H1N1 flu
Intranet link provides access to flu updates
In an effort to improve communication for ITD employees and their families about the impending H1N1 (Swine) flu outbreak, Human Resource Services has arranged for a quick link on the Intranet to access the latest updates.
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Highway safety
Insurance company forecasts odds of vehicle/deer collisions
Nevada odds makers would flock to Hawaii but go far out of their way to avoid West Virginia … if there were bets on the likelihood that a motor vehicle and deer would collide. The chance of running into a deer in the island paradise is only one in 9,931.17. In West Virginia, however, the odds of a vehicle/deer collision in the next year are one in 39.17. Idaho lands somewhere in the middle with odds of one in 305.07.
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Mountaintop repair
District 3 crews help repair radio facility
District 3’s bridge and building maintenance crew performed some mountaintop repair work Sept. 22-23 at the request of the radio technicians at Public Safety Communications, a part of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security network and the Idaho Military Division.
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Women's Transportation Seminar
Board members to attend WTS reception
Members of the Treasure Valley chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar will have an opportunity to meet with Idaho Transportation Board members Oct. 14 following the board's October business meeting. Tickets for the "Meet Your ITD Board Members" reception are $15 for members of the WTS and $25 for non-members.
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Highway technology
Idea would turn highways into solar collector panels
From the Idaho Business Journal
Scott Brusaw’s company has a unique idea – replace the asphalt and concrete road surfaces in Idaho and around the nation with solar panels. He envisions it as a way to provide low-cost energy, and lots of it, using a commonplace venue – the roadways we all drive on. The U.S. DOT is willing to give it a look.
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Transportation funding
AASHTO urges Congress to act on funding bill
As states push to create jobs and improve highways through the economic stimulus program, inaction on an extension of the highway and transit authorization is likely to reduce federal funding by $12 billion in FY 2010. That would reduce the program by almost 30 percent. A one-month stop-gap continuation has been included in the pending continuing resolution.
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