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Board plans three-day District 6 meeting

The Idaho Transportation Board will begin its three-day schedule in District 6 with a workshop focusing on the draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and FY07. The Wednesday (June 15) budget/work session will be at the Idaho Falls Public Library because of scheduling conflicts.

The day’s activities also include lunch at the Association of Idaho Cities’ annual conference in Idaho Falls and participation in the conference’s general session. Following lunch, ITD Director Dave Ekern, along with Budget, Policy and Intergovernmental Relations Manager Julie Pipal and Deputy Director Charlie Rountree, will give brief presentations on the GARVEE bond program, the Forum on Transportation Investment, and reauthorization of TEA-21, respectively, before the board resumes its workshop at the Library.

At Thursday’s regular board meeting, to be held at the District 6 office in Rigby, Intermodal Planning Manager Pat Raino will give an overview on the FY06-10 draft STIP process.

The STIP is based on a transportation planning process that incorporates public involvement and input from local governments and other agencies. The document is a priority list of construction projects to be carried out during the next three years by the department. It also includes the state’s metropolitan planning organizations’ federally funded projects.

The draft STIP will be updated based on comments and direction from the board at its Thursday workshop. ITD staff members anticipate circulating the document for public review and comment between July 18 and August 16.

Other board agenda items

State vs. private materials sources
Materials Engineer Jeff Miles will explain to the board how the material source for a project is determined. Most highway projects require aggregate materials. In accordance with the ITD Standard Specifications, all materials sources are contractor-provided. A contractor may choose to use a private source or may request to use a materials site controlled by ITD.

If a state source is approved for use, the contractor generally pays a royalty to the state; the payment is used to investigate and purchase other replacement sources. ITD owns or controls sources in each district. When materials source sites are no longer necessary or have been depleted they are reclaimed and relinquished back to the original public agency or sold.

District tour
The board’s District 6 tour on June 17 will focus on the greater Idaho Falls area. The board will visit several construction sites, including new interchanges, and will meet with local officials to discuss transportation issues.