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July 2010

Public shares concerns about U.S. 12 transport proposal
Three public meetings in north-central Idaho this week drew near capacity crowds as residents and concerned citizens commented on a proposal to move oversized loads on U.S. 12. Imperial Oil and its parent company Exxon-Mobil propose moving 207 loads from the Port of Lewiston to the Kearl oil sands extraction site in Alberta, Canada.
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Program urges donations of organs, tissue
ITD promotes the Donate Life organ donation message through options available on drivers license applications.. Saving lives is key to ITD's mission on the highways. Saving lives elsewhere just makes sense. With ITD's headquarters as the backdrop on Monday afternoon (June 28), the story of Mike Greiner and his quest unfolds:...
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Vista, airport kiosk claims national award
ITD, Connecting Idaho Partners and the GARVEE office won a highway safety award in early June at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s (ARTBA-TDF) 12th annual “Roadway Work Zone Safety Awareness Awards” event. The award was announced during the 2010 International Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh.
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STIP released for review, public comment
ITD recently released the draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for fiscal years 2011-2014 for public review and comment. The document identifies approximately $2 billion in transportation-related projects planned for construction through the year 2014. Included are projects for highways, bicycle and pedestrian paths, transit and aeronautics. The draft plan also includes continued authorizations of the GARVEE Transportation Program as approved by the Idaho Legislature.
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DMV hosts annual Region IV AAMVA conference
ITD’s Division of Motor Vehicles served as host to this year’s AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators) Region IV Conference, June 29-July 1 in Boise. Nearly 320 motor vehicles administrators and officials joined more than 115 jurisdictional representatives for the Boise event.
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Only one traffic fatality reported for July 4 weekend
Preliminary numbers from the Office of Highway Operations and Safety (OHOS) show that only one fatality occurred on Idaho highways during the July 4 holiday weekend. It is not known yet whether impaired driving played a role in that death. Last year, 65 people died on Idaho highways because of impaired driving and 265 people suffered serious injuries, according to ITD statistics.
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E-mail system migrating to new server
Enterprise Technology Services this week began converting ITD’s e-mail system from a 2003 Exchange server to newer technology that uses a 2007 Exchange server. The differences for users are relatively minor and will provide added benefits to our end users, explains ITD Chief Technology Officer Jon Pope. The upgrade is necessary in order to replace “end-of-life” computers to ensure the system remains reliable.
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Public transportation feature added to 511 phone system
Bus riders throughout Idaho can access public transit provider information online and by calling Idaho's 511 Traveler Services system. A recent upgrade to the 511 telephone system gives callers the ability to identify their location, select a preferred transit provider and then be connected directly to that provider for bus schedule and route information.
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Reed Ranch Airstrip formally opens to aviators Friday (July 30)
Aviators can plan to land at a new destination in scenic Idaho after the Reed Ranch Airstrip opens for public use Friday (July 30). The airstrip, in rugged north-central Idaho’s Payette National Forest, is about 18 miles east of McCall in the South Fork Salmon River drainage. The Reed Ranch Airstrip will become the 31st backcountry airstrip maintained by ITD’s Division of Aeronautics. The U.S. Forest Service owns another 22 airstrips, and about a dozen backcountry airstrips are privately owned but open for public use with prior permission.
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511 Transit introduces new telephone feature
Bus riders throughout Idaho can access public transit provider information online and by calling Idaho's 511 Traveler Services system. A recent upgrade to the 511 telephone system gives callers the ability to identify their location, select a preferred transit provider and then be connected directly to that provider for bus schedule and route information.
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E-Girls workshop demonstrates career opportunities
Pretzels and Twizzler licorice sticks made for great snacks and useful construction materials for young women, grades 8-11, attending Boise State University’s annual e-Girls workshop in June. BSU hosted the event as an introduction to engineering for 57 young women this year. The workshop featured Barbara Morgan, astronaut educator, and activities facilitated by representatives from BSU, NASA, Idaho National Laboratory, Hewlett-Packard, Micron Technology Foundation and the transportation department.
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Half of Garrity bridge reduced to rubble
The westbound (northern-most) portion of the Garrity Boulevard Interchange bridge was demolished last week as part of a major expansion of Interstate 84 in the Treasure Valley. The middle section had been removed earlier, and the eastbound portion (the southern-most piece) is due to come down in late December or early January.
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Task force considers report on user contributions to highways
Initial findings from a study presented to the Governor's Task Force on Modernizing Transportation Funding this week suggest passenger cars may be paying a larger share than big trucks for Idaho's highways. The study on the equity of Idaho's highway user fees was requested by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter when he formed the transportation task force in 2009.
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ITD preserves highway artifacts as window on the past
Every highway has a story behind it – or beneath it. Why was it built? Why that spot? What was there before? The answers often reveal a surprising historic perspective of movement through a landscape. Transportation corridors typically reflect ancient pathways. The same corridors used by the earliest Idahoans are the ones now widened and covered with asphalt or cement.
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ITD develops model for identifying 'health' of rural routes
ITD Director Brian Ness has issued a challenge – his vision is for the department to become the best in the nation and a model for other state agencies. What does that mean? District 6 Engineer Blake Rindlisbacher offers national attention over a district research project as an example that ITD is moving the right direction. He explained the research and subsequent interest when Director Ness and the transportation board met last week in Rigby.
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