CONNECTIONS

IDAHO
ITD HOME
511 TRAVEL SERVICES
IDAHO DMV
ITD NEWS
HIGHWAY SAFETY
IDAHO STATE POLICE


STATE OF IDAHO
NIATT

NATIONAL
AASHTO
AAMVA
AAA of IDAHO
FEDERAL HIGHWAYS
FEDERAL AVIATION
IDAHO STATE POLICE
NHTSA
NTSB
TRB
U.S. DOT

 

Idaho Transportation
Department

Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
E-mail

 


March 28, 2008

Greenhouse gas policy
Director outlines measures to reduce gas emissions, conserve energy
ITD Director Pam Lowe today called on employees to participate in the department’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by implementing energy efficient practices. The director’s memorandum (see attached) issued today outlines nearly a dozen measures that “employees will immediately institute.”
Continue
Director's memo


Highways
D-1 crews create innovative way to fill sand bags
They say necessity is the mother of invention.  A few years ago, the Kootenai River flooding in Boundary County provided the perfect opportunity for some very innovative thinking on the part of county and ITD maintenance crews. As the water levels in the river quickly rose, it became apparent that filling sandbags by hand was not keeping up with demand. That’s when the idea struck.
Continue


Court ruling
Judge rejects group's challenges to Sand Creek Byway
Judge Edward J. Lodge, U.S. District Court, District of Idaho, Thursday rejected all claims filed by the North Idaho Community Action Network (NICAN) that challenged the Sand Creek Byway environmental process. NICAN, a local environmental group, argued the Federal Highway Administration and the Idaho Transportation Department had violated the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Transportation Act...
Continue

Motor Vehicles
Online reinstatement process introduced for revocations, suspensions
A new online service introduced by the Idaho Transportation Department allows motorists to check their driving status at no charge and allows payment of reinstatement fees for drivers with suspended or revoked licenses. Idaho is one of the first states in the nation to offer this combination of online services.
Continue

Winter perspectives

View from the cab of a snowplow
The following perspective of winter as viewed from the seat of a snowplow operator appeared in the current edition of Six Bits, the District 6 newsletter. Written by Herb Drexler, the observation suggests "You know you are a snowplow operator when..."
Continue
D-6 Newsletter SixBits

View from motorists caught in sever winter conditions
What's it like to be caught on a mountain pass during a severe winter whiteout? An anonymous writer recalls the mission of mercy rendered by a 'faceless" snowplow driver.
Continue


Employees

D-4 puts ITD's best foot forward at career fair
It was difficult to predict the kinds of visitors and what information they were interested in receiving so ITD’s delegation at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Career Fair last week had to prepare for everything. A small group set out from the District 4 offices in Shoshone to find a few good people and to garner some interest in positions currently and soon to be open within the district.
Continue

Softball tournament organized for employee appreciation day
ITD employees are invited to have a ball, literally, during the annual State Employees Appreciation Week activities May 10 in Boise. The first of what is planned to be an annual State of Idaho Employees slow-pitch co-ed softball tournament will be played at the Willow Lane Athletic Complex in Boise. The one-day tournament will be limited to the first 16 teams from state agencies that sign up. Agencies can enter more than one team if there are not 16 individual agencies represented.
Continue

Twilight golf league to begin April 14
Transportation employees in the Treasure Valley are invited to join a twilight golf league that is organizing for competition this summer. League play will be at Shadow Valley Golf Course on Idaho 55, north of Boise and will run from April 14 to Aug. 25. The ITD Twilight Golf League is open to employees/family members of ITD, the Federal Highway Administration Idaho Division and IDAHY Federal Credit Union. For more information, please see the flyer.


Rail safety
Enforcement patrol raises awareness about railroad crossings
City, county and state law enforcement officers from Idaho and Washington launched a coordinated enforcement effort this week to raise awareness of railroad crossing safely through an "Officer on a Train" program.
Continue


FHWA
New assistant administrator introduced

Gus Shanine has been selected to the position of Assistant Division Administrator in the Idaho Division.  Gus, a product of the HETP, brings nearly 21 years of FHWA experience to the job.
Continue

Employee safety
Evacuation drill scheduled for State Street Center

When ITD evacuated the main buildings at Headquarters in Boise last fall, occupants of the department’s State Street center remained at their desks. They were exempt from the evacuation drill. But they will get a turn in mid-April, according to Bryan Smith, the department’s emergency program manager.
Continue


Published previously

Winter viewed through lens of past, present
A winter ride on the wild side
The blade drops, and the scraping sound adds to the brutish symphony. It’s man fighting back against the first “normal winter” in years. And it’s my first ride ever in this king of the road. Inside the cab, the interior is black and Spartan. We’re not talking touring comfort here. My passage is compliments of Lyle Holden, foreman of Area 650, who bargains to drive me from Sugar City to Tetonia and back.
Continue

Worst winter ever?
So you’re sick of winter and think the cold and snow can’t get much worse? Let me tell you about the "Great Winter" of 1948-49 that old timers still talk about. The central figure in my story is a man named Art Hoult, who was the Idaho Highway Department's maintenance supervisor for all federal and state highways from Raft River to Wyoming and from the Utah line to Montana.
Continue


Employees
Awards recognize employment milestones
Idaho Transportation Board member Monte McClure challenged employees to embrace innovation and continue looking for ways to do their jobs more efficiently. But the heart of his message during an employee awards ceremony at Headquarters Wednesday was a reminder of the important role employees play in the successes of their organization.
Continue

Ten employees embark on retirement
ITD employees who are still “practicing,” paused Wednesday to pay tribute to those who crossed the threshold into retirement. The semi-annual employee awards ceremony at Headquarters recognized 10 retirees, who combined for 277 years of service – an average of 27.7 years.
Continue


Highways
Safe Routes to School grants awarded
The Idaho Transportation Board Wednesday approved grants of $890,000 to 19 Idaho communities for projects designed to encourage students to walk and bicycle to school. The funds are part of the Safe Routes to School program, a federal initiative to encourage and enable children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The Idaho Transportation Department receives federal funds each year to distribute on a reimbursement basis for projects selected by the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee.
Continue

Transportation board
A time for warm memories and fond farewells
Leaders in Idaho’s transportation community united for two hours Thursday to honor the achievements and contributions of retired Idaho Transportation Board member Jack Combo. The guest list included former Gov. Cecil D. Andrus and past ITD directors, representatives of the Federal Highway Administration, ITD employees, and a supportive family. Two of Combo’s children participated via teleconference.
Continue