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ITD presents awards for innovative
projects that include partnerships

ITD presented seven Excellence in Transportation Awards Wednesday as part of the 2007 Project Development Conference in Boise.

The awards recognize achievement in the development and construction of projects related to transportation. In keeping with the conference theme Conference “Partnering for Transportation Change” all of the award recipients were part of a collaborative effort to improve transportation in Idaho.

Transportation Planning – Small Project
The Transpo Group, in partnership with the City of Jerome for the Jerome Transportation Master Plan. Together, they created a master transportation plan using context sensitive solution guidance that has all the elements of a plan that can be kept up to date and evolve as the city grows.

It provides mechanisms for looking at various funding alternatives and means of attaining improvements set out in the plan.

Transportation Planning – Large Project
COMPASS (Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho) in partnership with Kittelson and Associates for Communities in Motion: A Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan 2030.

Communities in Motion is the most significant and robust approach to regional transportation planning to date in Idaho. The quality of work, coordination and communication, and the final plan serves as an example for regional planning throughout Idaho and the nation.

Public Participation – Small Project
The Langdon Group in partnership with District 1 for the U.S. 95 at McArthur Lake project. The Langdon Group used public input to build consensus and overcome distrust of “outsiders” and “outside science.”

The public involvement process was used to develop compromises on emotionally-charged issues such as protecting wildlife.

Public Participation – Large Project
RBCI, Inc. in partnership with District 2 for solicitation of public input on the U.S. 95 Thorncreek to Moscow project. A comprehensive campaign was developed to inform the public about options and to gather comment on the project.

The project includes a monthly public breakfast meeting held on the same day of the week, at the same time and same location. The monthly breakfast meeting demonstrates a commitment to communication with the public and provide for regular dialogue about the project.

Environmental Stewardship – Large Project
District 6 in partnership with HRD Engineering and GeoEngineers, Inc. for the Henrys Lake Fish Passages project. The project incorporated stream restoration components that went beyond the requirements needed to provide connectivity for Yellowstone Cutthroat to historic spawning habitat. The objective was to prevent the species from becoming listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The goal to remove a barrier that was created when the existing structure was originally constructed was established and remained the focus throughout the development and construction of the replacement structure. This project demonstrates that it is possible to serve a transportation need and be environmentally sensitive at the same time.

Design – Large Project
The award goes to JUB Engineers in partnership with the city of Nampa for the King’s Corner overpass. This project demonstrates solutions that worked well within the context of political opposition, short time frames and difficult funding.

It exhibits creative design techniques to reduce construction costs and duration even with difficult project constraints. The design team was able to coordinate with multiple agencies and utilities to provide an excellent product that was received well by the stakeholders and the public.

Construction - Large Project
The award goes to the city of Ponderay in partnership with District 1 for the intersection of Idaho 200 and Kootenai Cutoff Road. This project provided a very significant safety and operational improvement to a busy intersection, which include an at-grade railroad crossing.

The project included performing much of the work at night and coordination with the Union Pacific Railroad. Successful coordination with the railroad is a significant achievement.
The construction was completed on time, with minimal disruption to vehicular and rail traffic. The project significantly reduced congestion, improved traffic flow between commercial and residential areas, and safety, particularly for traffic crossings or making left turns to/from Idaho 200.

ITD extends its congratulations to all the award winners for demonstrating a commitment to engineering solutions that involve diverse partnerships and participation.