ITD’s top innovations reflect commitment to safety & service

The FY24 Best of the Best ceremony held September 30 in Boise and livestreamed for the first time ever, showcased not only this year’s best innovations, but also paid tribute to the decade-long history of the innovation program at ITD, rolled out in the spring of 2014 to harness the great ideas of tremendous employees across the state. ITD innovation has resulted in $61M in savings and efficiencies to be re-applied to needed road and bridge projects statewide, and nearly 670,000 hours of savings over the last decade, benefiting road users and customers in the Gem State.

Innovation makes our work safer, improves processes, and saves time and money.  More than 1,500 of the 3,200 ideas over the last decade have been implemented. This not only saves time and money for the department, but also translate into significant improvements for our customers.

Innovate ITD! has created a space where every voice matters, every idea is valued, and everyone can make a difference,” said ITD Chief Innovation Officer Brenda Williams. “Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the Best of the Best. Every innovation represents hours of hard work, collaboration, and determination. I am so proud of all the ITD employees and their innovative spirit. Innovation….it is who we are.”

Along with the awards ceremony honoring this year’s winners, the ceremony gave a look back at some highlights along the way, like the Bud Bar in 2017, the evolution of the S.N.O.W. (Safely Navigating Our Winters) safe-driving program, and many others. Check out the compilation video. 

A special Decade of Excellence award was also given in recognition of 675 ideas and innovations submitted by DMV, each of which saves time and money at county offices statewide. Check out the video tribute to DMV

The winners were also announced for this year.

The first winner was in the Customer Service category, where the DMV is again going above and beyond for disabled military veterans by automatically renewing their vehicle registrations. This innovation reduces the number of phone calls from confused customers. Who were previously required to go into the physical DMV office. There are 3,500 disabled veteran plates in Idaho, so automatically renewing their registrations saves the customers a trip to the DMV and around 1,500 hours of estimated time each year.

Next is the Ideal Workplace category, where the winner was the ICONIC Youth Program, an extension of the ICONIC workforce training program geared for adults in the transportation and construction trades. Ty Winther and Jessika Doglietto spearheaded this program for youths and young adults, which gives free training on a front-end loader, skid loader and excavator to selected students, who also walk away with their OSHA 10-hour entry program and first aid certifications.

The next winner, in the Mobility & Economic Opportunity category, garnered the most votes of any innovation this year. This People’s Choice winner came from Tom Logan in south central Idaho. Temporary steel barriers are a fraction of the weight and take a fraction of the time to set up in construction areas. In fact, crews were able to set 5,000 feet of steel barriers in one night, something that would have taken up to two weeks with concrete. Since they are lightweight, they use two pins every 30 feet to prevent them from moving.

The next category is Resource Stewardship. The winner was an innovation out of north-central Idaho, addressing salt that bounced away off the road when distributed by one of our trucks in motion. Salt was scattering off of the spinner and bouncing off the rubber flaps of the sander chute, causing a significant portion to get lost in the ditch. Add in strong winds, and you’re looking at additional material not making it to the roadway surface. Adam Ott constructed a simple Salt Wrangler to address this problem, then did a comparison between trucks with and without it during application. The results were impressive.

The final winner, in the Safety category, was a stark reminder that every vote counts! The winner, by the razor-thin margin of 192 to 191, was an innovation from Chris Higginbotham in the North Idaho office. ITD needed to come up with a better way to assess and execute plans for hazard tree removal along state highway right of ways. Utilizing LIDAR tree data from the statewide inventory including height and proximity to the pavement, Higginbotham was able to import that dataset into IPLAN and cross reference it against parcel ownership data across the state. The result is a comprehensive mapping program for hazard trees.

Check out the FY24 Best of the Best recap.

ITD reigns for third time at national Snow & Ice Conference

The largest group of competitors ever (about 330) at the Snow & Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo couldn’t slow down the ITD maintenance team, which won the national “Top Agency” title for the third time in the last four years on September 25! This year, ITD took six competitors to the event – (Pictured below, L to R: TJ Gibson, Sheldon Jones, Jed Gregersen, Dakota Morgan, Jed Henderson and Brandon Steffens).

This year, ITD also had the first individual champion (Gibson in Loader) since Jarrett Porter did it in the same event back in 2001. In fact, ITD swept the top three places in the Loader event, with Morgan taking the runner-up slot and Gregerson finishing 3rd.

The duo of Steffens and Gregerson also won this year’s Single Axle Snowplow team event, while Steffens was 2nd in Skid Steer. The team of Gibson and Henderson came in 2nd in Snowplow Tandem Axle.

Henderson and Steffens have been members of all three national title-winning teams.

“In Idaho, our first priority is work zone safety, and by being the best in maintenance equipment safety operations we minimize time in work zones for employees and the traveling public,” emphasized ITD Chief Deputy Director Dan McElhinney. “ITD is very proud of our 6-member team for winning the 2024 National Maintenance Safety Equipment Rodeo last week in Colorado, proving our commitment to be the best of the best in the nation, which we have been now 3 of the last 4 years!”

Several team members also had very positive things to say about the experience:

ITD would also like to thank Kelley Dick and Alan Huey for their leadership with the district, state and national roadeo events!

In addition to another team title, the ITD squad delivered top finishes in various events as mentioned earlier. The ITD contingent has performed well over the years in Colorado, with 50 Top 10 finishes on various pieces of equipment

ITD starting popular ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and Idaho Department of Education are working together to kick off the first ever annual ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest. Other states and highway departments across the country conduct similar campaigns with great success. 

Starting October 1, eighth grade students across Idaho are invited to participate with their classrooms to submit a name. Contest entries will be accepted through the month of October with winning names announced by 2025. 

“Our snowplow drivers are very thankful to schools that are able to join this fun educational opportunity and help increase winter driving safety awareness!” ITD Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Director Dan McElhinney said.  

Two plows in each of six Idaho regions will be selected through voting by ITD employees. Winning names will be displayed directly on ITD plows, with winners awarded a visit to their school by that plow and driver to talk about winter safety. News media will also be invited to attend plow naming events.  

This contest is a partnership between ITD and the Idaho Department of Education for teachers in eighth grade classrooms to opt in, with the hopes of sharing winter driving safety messages as this age group will soon be in driver’s education classes. Another goal of adding unique names on plows is to cause all drivers to take a second look and be patient when driving through the winter.  

“This contest is such a fun way to engage students with a safety message that’s essential to our young drivers, especially as the weather cools and winter approaches,” Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said. “I’m grateful for the partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department and am definitely looking forward to seeing some student-named plows on the road this winter.” 

More information regarding the contest winners and plow naming events will be released once the submission and voting deadlines have passed.

Contest rules can be found on ITD’s website.

Two ITD snowplows. One has been digitally altered to say "Winning Name Here" on the front of the plow.

Name a Snowplow

Two ITD snowplows. One has been digitally altered to say "Winning Name Here" on the front of the plow.

For the first time ever, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is naming snowplows! Name A Snowplow is a fun way to spread awareness about snowplow safety, foster a sense of ownership among the community, and teach future drivers how to be safe when driving near snowplows. We are partnering with the Idaho Department of Education to collect name ideas from Idaho 8th graders. This age group was selected because they are about to attend driver’s education.  

We are asking 8th grade classrooms to come up with names and submit them by October 31, 2024. Instructions for how to submit names will be distributed to teachers through the Idaho Department of Education. ITD will also distribute educational materials about snowplow safety.  

Contest Rules: 

Eligibility 

  • Open to 8th grade classrooms.
  • Classrooms must be located in Idaho.

Submission Guidelines 

  • One name per classroom.
  • Names must be appropriate | MAX 15 characters (including spaces).
  • Submit name via Microsoft Form. The submission link is only being provided to eighth grade teachers through the Idaho Department of Education.

*If the same name is submitted by multiple classrooms, only the first entry received will be considered. 

Selection Process 

  • Names must be submitted by October 31.
  • ITD employees will vote on submissions in November.
  • 12 winning names will be selected—two from each of Idaho’s six regions—and winners announced by early January. Names will be featured on the plows’ blades.
  • Winning classrooms will receive recognition and a special visit from the snowplow bearing its chosen name. Media will be invited to cover the event.

Additional Information 

  • Classrooms are free to conduct their own internal voting to select their submission.
  • Submissions that do not meet the criteria will be disqualified.
  • By submitting a snowplow name, you grant ITD all rights to use, display and publish the name for promotional purposes.

Timeline

  • Classrooms submit names October 1 to 31, 2024.
  • ITD Employees vote on names in November 2024.
  • Winners announced December 2024.
  • Plow visits with winning classrooms/schools December 2024 through January 2025.

Interested in participating? 

ITD communicators recognized with national awards from AASHTO

ITD’s Office of Communication received two national awards from AASHTO’s Committee on Transportation Communications (TransComm) today (September 24) at their annual meeting in Atlanta. AASHTO is the nation’s premiere transportation governing body.

Idaho won an award for “Best Use of a Single Social Media Platform” in recognition of phenomenal growth within the Instagram account – a 200% increase this year. The social media accounts are managed by Josie Bisgard, with input from each of the district PIOs around the state. The department also has Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube accounts.

ITD also won in the Writing category for “Article with DOT Byline” for a piece from Mark Pfeifer detailing how the Powell crew in north-central Idaho helped rescue an injured woman who’d fallen 200 feet down an embankment into Weir Creek. Here’s the link to that article: https://www.clearwaterprogress.com/news/itd-crew-recognized-for-help-in-rescue/article_f9ffdac0-0a52-11ee-8a09-2381c69a79f8.html

“It is so gratifying to receive this national recognition and be able to highlight some of the amazing work our communication team does each and every day,” said Office of Communication Manager John Tomlinson.  “I am so proud of our entire staff!”

ITD research on Monarch habitat, repair of earthquake-damaged bridges win AASHTO honors

Two of ITD’s research projects were recently selected by AASHTO as High Value Research winners in a competition among state DOTs across the nation. The first project, “Bees and Butterflies in Roadside Habitats” assessed pollinator diversity along Idaho’s roadsides, focusing on areas critical for monarch butterflies. The second project, “Experimental Validation of Repair Methods for Earthquake-Damaged Bridges Incorporating ITD’s Precast Pier System” focused initially on developing a precast pier system to improve the seismic resilience of bridges in Idaho. That led to a study investigating the use of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for repairing earthquake-damaged piers, which showed promising results in restoring structural integrity.

The AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) High Value Research competition recognizes outstanding transportation research that demonstrates significant value and impact. These awards celebrate projects that address pressing issues in transportation, from improving infrastructure resilience to enhancing resource conservation. The winning projects were recognized at the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee meeting in Columbus, Ohio on July 22.

ITD Research Program Manager Ned Parrish and Senior Research Analyst Amanda Laib represented ITD and accepted the awards on behalf of the department. Amanda is pictured above center, with certificate. Winning projects from Wyoming, Colorado and Texas DOTs are also shown. The ITD projects will also be presented at a special poster session at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January 2025.

The recognition of these projects by AASHTO underscores ITD’s dedication to advancing transportation infrastructure. These innovative research outcomes not only enhance infrastructure resilience and resource conservation but also reflects ITD’s standing as a leader in innovative transportation solutions.

ITD Roadside Program Manager Cathy Ford led the pollinator project. Researchers at Montana State University surveyed various roadside habitats, identifying patterns that support pollinator health. The study found that smaller highways and sagebrush-bordered roadsides had a higher incidence of bee and butterfly species. The project also mapped essential milkweed patches and recommended management strategies to enhance pollinator habitats. These recommendations are being integrated into ITD’s operational practices to support conservation efforts and avoid regulatory complications.

Highways Development Division Administrator and State Bridge Engineer Mike Johnson managed the earthquake-damaged bridge project. Extensive testing at Idaho State University showed the new system’s superior performance compared to traditional methods. This research led to the implementation of the precast pier system in the Interstate 15 Fort Hall Interchange, significantly reducing construction time and minimizing traffic disruptions.

511 “End of Project” notifications improve service to workers, drivers

Any improvement to the 511 Idaho Traveler Information System represents a customer-service milestone for the thousands of Gem State drivers who have signed up for alerts through the system. One of the improvements from this past year also benefits ITD’s internal customers – engineers, inspectors, project managers, and maintenance personnel.

The improvement involves including an “end of project” notification via email and text, so users know how long the project will be impacting their commute or drive. If the project goes beyond the time expected, that information is also relayed. The email notification was accomplished fairly easily, but the text notification involves an update from the 511 vendor, which should be done within a few weeks.

The 511 user can signify the area they want notifications for by drawing it on a map once they log in to their account. “So if you wanted to know of any work within a 50-mile radius of your commute route, for instance, you could do that,” says 511 Coordinator Barton Phelps. The map to the left shows a “boundary” map selected in the system.

In addition to alerting users as to the end date for projects, an improvement was also added that provides a notice of upcoming projects that could impact the travel area up to 72 hours in advance of the start of the work.

CJ Kendrick named DMV Deputy Administrator

A man in a black polo shirt posing for a photo.
CJ Kendrick

The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is excited to announce that CJ Kendrick has been promoted to the position of Idaho Transportation Department Division of Motor Vehicles Deputy Administrator. Kendrick has been an invaluable member of the ITD DMV team for over eleven years, filling several critical roles within the DMV. Most recently, he served as the Vehicle Services Manager for the past two years.

Kendrick has been a champion of innovation, particularly with the “Skip the Trip” initiative for DMV customers. His dedication to serving Idahoans and providing convenient alternatives is unwavering.

“Serving Idahoans and providing Skip the Trip alternatives is my main focus. Citizens of Idaho deserve the ability to be able to choose how they interact with the department and a DMV that looks for ways to say ‘Yes’. I am humbled to be selected for this opportunity and look forward to the new challenges facing the DMV as we expand the ways we interact with our customers,” said Kendrick.

In addition to his extensive experience with the DMV, Kendrick is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan as a flight medic. His eleven years with DMV have involved many diverse roles, from ports of entry, dealer operations, motor vehicle investigation, title unit supervision, and vehicle services management. This breadth and depth of experience have thoroughly prepared him for this new leadership position as the DMV Deputy Administrator.

“Please join me in congratulating CJ Kendrick on his well-deserved promotion,” said DMV Administrator Lisa McClellan.

ITD maintenance crews on alert to assist Idaho drivers during heatwave, motorists need to also prepare

Picture of an ITD truck.

With consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is urging motorists to prepare themselves and their vehicles for traveling in the extreme heat.

ITD maintenance teams across Southwest Idaho are taking proactive measures by actively checking on vehicles pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. This extra diligence aims to ensure the safety and well-being of drivers during record heat, as being stranded can quickly turn dangerous in these conditions.

“We know that these scorching temperatures can pose serious risks, and our maintenance crews are committed to helping drivers stay safe on the roads. We urge all drivers to take necessary precautions and plan their trips wisely,” Field Operations Manager Eric Copeland said.

Alongside these actions, ITD encourages motorists to take these steps when hitting the road in triple-digit temperatures:

  • Top off coolant levels if needed.
  • Check tires and tire pressure to reduce the chances of a blowout on hot roads.
  • Make sure to have a spare tire for your vehicle.
  • Pack extra water.
  • Completely fill your gas tank, as the engine uses more fuel when the air conditioner is running.
  • Pack an emergency travel kit filled with snacks, sunscreen, and a first-aid kit for unexpected delays.
  • Look before you lock. Never leave children or animals unattended in vehicles.

By following these tips and benefiting from our maintenance team’s vigilant efforts, motorists can navigate Idaho’s highways safely during periods of high temperatures.

ITD Communication wins nine awards from Idaho Press Club

The Idaho Press Club held their “Best of 2023” Awards show on Saturday evening, May 4. The yearly event highlights the best throughout Idaho in both media and public relations, and ITD’s Office of Communication took home some top prizes.

“We love telling the stories within ITD,” said southwest Idaho communication rep Sophia Miraglio, who took home two of the awards. “Our reputation with the media reflects ITD’s commitment to transparency, intentionality, and public service.”

On Saturday night, that commitment and public-service focus paid off, with ITD winning nine awards.

Best Online-Only Video Program – Public Affairs

  1. Angie Heuring, Axel Quartarone, Josie Bisgard – “No Guts, No Glory: ITD Behind the Plow”

Opinion Writing – PR

  1. Reed Hollinshead – Grip Strength
  2. Reed Hollinshead – Silent Ruin

News Releases – PR

  1. Sophia Miraglio – Best 3 of 2023

Feature Writing – PR

  1. Reed Hollinshead – Aunt Di: 55 years of service and going strong!
  2. Sophia Miraglio – ITD Veteran Shawn Denham continues to serve

Annual Report – PR

  1. Angie Heuring, Jared Tuttle, MacKenzie Stone – ITD Annual Report
  2. Ellen Mattila, Jared Tuttle, Lisa McClellan – DMV Annual Report

Public Service Campaign – PR

  1. Ellen Mattila, Duft Watterson – Idaho Ready