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Two ITD employees honored by highway users group

The Idaho Highway Users Inc. honored two ITD employees with Motorvator Awards for outstanding contributions to Idaho’s highway transportation system during a luncheon the group hosted for state legislators Tuesday in Boise.

Jim Smith, Lewiston area foreman for District 2, was named Maintenance Person of the Year and Carl Horn, traffic services foreman for District 4, was awarded Safety Person of the Year honor.

Smith came to ITD five years ago with a wealth of knowledge he acquired while working for a major paving contractor as a senior level manager.

“He has quickly become a team player with ITD,” said Doral J. Hoff in nominating Smith for the award. Hoff is the District 2 Maintenance Engineer.

“He is innovative and is open to change and is always looking to improve on a process to make it safer and more efficient,” Hoff said. “His dedication to the roads he maintains is exemplified in his approach to the people he works with. He is an excellent leader.”

Serving the department and District 4 for more than six years, Horn has worked as Traffic Services Foreman the past two and a half years.

“In that short period of time, he has earned a reputation for excellence in everything he does,” said Bruce Christensen, District 4 Traffic Engineer.

“Carl served as District 4’s Safety Committee Chair, teaches flagging classes and is a frequent team member on high accident reviews and other important district functions,” Christensen said.

“In his present position as Traffic Services Foreman, Carl has introduced new, innovative measures to improve highway safety,” Christensen said. “For example, he invented and constructed a temporary sign stand that has an innovative way of dealing with frequent knockdowns of stop signs in areas where the ground is too frozen or snow covered to install a new post immediately.”

The Idaho Highway Users Inc. is an organization created nearly 60 years ago to “proactively advocate for the continuous improvement and safety of the Idaho highway system,” according to Scott Ellsworth, the group’s chairman.

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Photos: ITD’s Greg Laragan presents Jim Smith with the Highway Users award for “Maintenance Person of the Year” and Carl Horn with the "Safety Person of the Year” award (top). Horn created a temporary sign stand (right), which demonstrates an innovative approach for stop signs frequently knocked down in areas where the ground is too frozen or snow covered to install a new post immediately.