Untitled Document

Board to consider report on ITD's
use of magnesium chloride

ITD’s use of magnesium chloride to improve wintertime driving conditions will be reviewed for members of the Idaho Transportation Board at its regular monthly board meeting Wednesday. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Headquarters auditorium.

ITD began using the anti-icing treatment in 1988 and has refined the process the past two decades. Guidelines for the use of magnesium chloride are outlined in the ITD Maintenance Manual; excerpts include:

Careful monitoring is required if application rates of 20-30 gallons per lane mile are exceeded;
Avoid application to a snow floor when conditions could cause “refreeze”;
Coordinate application to the weather event, or practice a “just in time” application;
The product should not be applied if the air temperature is above 40 degrees with a relative humidity of 45-50 percent; and
Exercise caution when applying mag chloride following an extended dry spell

ITD staff polled other states about their use of similar highway treatments and found the application rates ranged from 15 to 50 gallons per lane mile. Few states have written policies for magnesium chloride applications, and some states have temperature and humidity restrictions.

Because slippery conditions can be created by applying magnesium chloride to freeway ramps and intersections, the Maintenance Steering Committee will consider revising the Maintenance Manual to restrict application to those locations.

Other board discussion

Annual Report on Audits
The Office of Internal Review will present its annual report during the board meeting. The office conducts independent reviews to assess the effectiveness, compliance and efficiency of ITD programs, procedures and controls. It also reviews records and financial reports for select third parties that contract and sub-grant with ITD.

Some of the activities completed in 2007 include:

A review of expense reports, P-Card and out-of-state travel, which resulted in several recommendations for improvements;
A joint review with FHWA on construction contracts; during visits to all six districts, it was generally discovered that proper procedures are in place;
An audit of the Connecting Idaho Partners, the program manager for the GARVEE Program, to ensure the partnership is following the procedures to which it has committed and that adequate controls are in place;
A joint review of the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council was undertaken with FHWA, resulting in the establishment of a team to help implement recommendations; and
Audits of public transportation sub-grantees, with several control recommendations being made.

Focus areas for 2008 include improving the office’s efficiency by using Audit Documentation Software, expanding the use of risk assessments in audit planning and assurance that ITD is meeting its financial management responsibilities in a cost-effective manner.

Employee Safety and Risk Management Program
The Safety and Risk Management team develops and initiates the overall loss control program for ITD. A summary of the 2007 activities will be provided to the board.

Preventing employee injuries and equipment damage was addressed by educating employees in safe work practices, ensuring the provision of adequate protective gear and communicating regulatory compliance information.

Hazardous work sites and practices were identified through a scheduled inspection program, and hazard controls were developed.

The public filed 224 tort claims in FY07, which were investigated by staff. The number is considerably lower than the average of 400 per fiscal year.

The office reports that 110 industrial injuries or illnesses were claimed, resulting in 542 lost workdays. The five-year average of incidents is 109.

A total of 131 vehicle collisions were reported in FY07; the five-year average is 133.

Future plans include implementing the revised standardized equipment lighting statewide and assessing its impact; implementing procedures to test innovative ideas in controlled settings; and promoting security and emergency preparedness statewide, both at work and home.