IDAHO NATIONAL TRANSPORTER Idaho
Transportation
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Board approves funds for scenic byway projects The Idaho Transportation considered and approved at its April 17 meeting in Lewiston a funding proposal that will enhance informational signs statewide as part of the scenic byway program. Scenic byway funding is available on a nationally competitive basis for routes that have been designated as a state scenic, historic, or back country byway and All American Roads and National Scenic Byways. The Scenic Byways Advisory Committee prioritized project proposals and submitted the list to the transportation board for its consideration. The board approved the list that now will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration for approval. The list includes a request of $811,400 in federal funds for the scenic byways. With a match of 20 percent, the total for the four projects is $1,014,250. The projects and the federal amount being requested include:
Draft Strategic Focus Area Plans
The teams were asked to make recommendations that address both short-term (0-3 years) and longer-term (3-5 years) issues. The respective team leaders provided an update to the board on their progress and outlined the following themes: Investing in Our People: Establish, implement and sustain a set of organizational and cultural values that define ITD; be an employer of choice; and create and maintain a positive work environment where people thrive. Expanding and Enhancing Partnerships: Establish a partnership culture and policies; identify and validate existing partnerships; and identify and establish future partnerships. Leading through Agency Performance: Identify, evaluate, and define successful agency performance management; identify and describe appropriate models; develop an implementation plan; and establish a performance management office. Improving Our Customer Service Culture: Assess customer satisfaction with current products and service delivery and determine necessary improvements; and develop an ITD customer service change management and implementation plan. Board members expressed support for the themes and the direction of the teams. Idaho’s Mobility and Access Pathway More than 600 stakeholders were involved in the planning process. This effort resulted in the development of Idaho’s Mobility and Access Pathway (IMAP). (See related story) It defines the vision for mobility and describes a new paradigm for mobility services based on a premise called mobility management that emphasizes how to best move people instead of focusing on a particular mode of transportation. Some of the notable aspects of IMAP are:
The board commended the individuals who participated in the visioning process. It authorized ITD staff to continue efforts to build a statewide coalition of mobility management stakeholders with the intent of further defining and pursuing statewide multi-modal, coordinated transportation based on a system of mobility management. The Division of Public Transportation will report back to the board when draft local network plans are completed, and as significant milestones are achieved and it becomes appropriate for the board to consider further action. Published 4-25-8 |