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7-27-07
Fires
continue to scorch Idaho lands
Agencies
impose Stage 2 fire restrictions
Several federal agencies responsible for managing
public land in central and southern Idaho implemented
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, effective Thursday (July
26) because of low wildland fuel moisture, high fire
danger and the high number of fire incidents.
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Fires
claim nearly 1 million acres
Fire activity report from the National Interagency
Fire Center, as of Friday, July 27...
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Aeronautics
 Crews
remove ITD equipment from Johnson Creek airstrip
Three
ITD personnel from the Division of Aeronautics removed
vehicles and equipment from the Johnson Creek airstrip
northeast of McCall Monday as a precautionary measure
because of a nearby wildfire. Mark Young began organizing
the emergency evacuation Sunday night and enlisted
the help of airport maintenance craftsmen Todd Glass
and Mike Pryor in removing the equipment Monday morning
as the Riordan Fire approached within about a mile
of the popular airstrip.
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Transportation
Board
Report
says highway deficiency is slipping
Inflation
and decreased funding has reversed a decade-long
trend and is gradually diminishing the efficiency
of pavement on Idaho highways, according to a report
presented last week to the Idaho Transportation
Board. The board met Wednesday and Thursday at the
District 6 Headquarters in Rigby. ITD staff indicated
that the percentage of deficient pavement dropped
from 38 percent in 1993 to 15 percent in 2002.
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District
6
 Boy
Scout Troop honored for highway cleanup efforts
An
Eastern Idaho Boy Scout troop offers a new twist
to an old adage; cleanliness is next to….
U.S. 26. Members of Boy Scouts of America Troop
12 conducted three cleanup campaigns along the highway
the past year, in May, August and October, and for
their efforts were chosen the District 6 Adopt-A-Highway
group of the year.
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Highways
ITD
to begin implementing Practical Design concept
ITD
has introduced a new process to simplify design
of construction projects to achieve maximum benefit
for its financial investment. Director Pam Lowe
outlined her vision for Practical Design in a detailed
memo to district engineers last week, calling for
designs that maintain project quality and integrity,
but at the same time reducing costs.
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Highway
Safety
Holiday
free of impaired driving fatalities; 51 DUI
arrests made
Stepped
up law enforcement patrols appear to have helped
keep motorists safer during the July 4 holiday.
Statewide, 34 agencies participated in the overtime
enforcement effort funded through a federal
grant administered by ITD. The money helped
pay for overtime law enforcement patrols targeting
impaired drivers.
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Public
Transportation
 ITD
sends five buses to social service agencies
The
parking lot near ITD’s Division of Public Transportation
office at Headquarters looked a little different this
week. Two small transport buses, painted a brilliant
yellow, a brown bus and a white bus stood out among
staff vehicles in the parking lot Tuesday morning
awaiting delivery to anxious recipients.
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Retirement
ITD
bids farewell to Milford Miller, Judy Harmon
While
pursuing an engineering degree from the University
of Idaho, Milford Miller accepted a part-time position
with the Idaho Department of Highways during that
same era – 43 years ago. Last week he bid a
formal farewell to his colleagues at Headquarters
and finished removing items from his secluded office
that marked more than four decades of service to Idaho.
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Technology
Help
available for computer rotations
The
IT Help Desk at Headquarters asks for help in identifying
computers that are intended to be removed from service
and designated as surplus. Representatives from the
Help Desk are available to help employees evaluate
computers and advise about the best use of computers.
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District
1
District
1 motorcycle enthusiasts show force behind 'Ride to
Work' Day
Highway
Safety
 Closed
cars become deadly greenhouses
The
responses are strikingly simple – the results
shockingly tragic: “I was only going to be
inside for a few minutes… I didn’t think
it would get that hot…I forgot.” Whatever
the reasons, leaving a child unattended in a vehicle
while outside temperatures soar is a deadly combination.
It has been a deadly combination 15 times across
the nation already this year, including one in Idaho.
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 AAA
offers tips for keeping cars running safely
Near record hundred-degree summer heat puts vehicle
occupants at risk, especially in overheated vehicles
where there is no opportunity to seek relief.And
about half of AAA's 120,000 calls for roadside assistance
in Idaho and Oregon this summer will result in a
tow. Overheating vehicles are common during hot
summer days, often resulting from driving in slow-moving
traffic during hot weather with the air conditioning
running, and driving up long, steep hills.
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Motorcycle
fatalities increase in '06; overall deaths decline
Motorcyclists
killed in collisions continued to rise last year,
according to the 2006 Idaho Traffic Collisions
report released by ITD's Office of Highway Operations
and Safety. Despite the rise in motorcycle fatalities,
however, the overall number of motor vehicle fatalities
declined last year — from 275 in 2005 to
267.
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Highways
 New
rumble strips warn motorists who cross the line
There’s
nothing wrong with your vehicle’s alignment.
And your iPod is working just fine.
That slight shuddering you feel, and hear, as you’re
driving is a warning you are crossing into the opposite
lane, or getting close to veering off the side of
the road.
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