Photo courtesy of the Idaho Transportation Department

ITD Chief Deputy, COO Dan McElhinney

The Idaho Transportation Department's (ITD) work zone safety and winter road maintenance efforts recently won in the Leadership categories of the international Communitas Awards, which recognizes excellence in Community Service and Social Responsibility.

"Making Work Zones Safer" won on March 23 in the Leadership in Community Service category and "Winter Road Maintenance Customer Service to Idaho Road Users" won in a category called Leadership in Community Service and Corporate Social Responsibility. ITD won in categories that also featured such massive companies as Toyota, MasterCard, Dow Chemical and Honeywell.

"We are proud of our employees for winning this international recognition in the middle of our busiest winter storms season in years," ITD Chief Deputy, COO Dan McElhinney said. "Their outstanding customer-focused efforts keep our highways and work zones safe for drivers, project contractors and our own dedicated highway workers. This is truly a confirmation of the incredible services they provide daily for Idaho communities statewide."

"We started this program to highlight the community involvement of great companies and individuals who were sharing their skills and resources with their communities," said Mardelle Riley of the association of marketing and communications professionals [the umbrella group guiding the Communitas Awards]. "Our judges found that your nominee clearly exhibits the spirit of communitas, a Latin word that means people coming together for the good of a community. Communitas winners are recognized for specific programs involving volunteerism, philanthropy and ethical, sustainable business practices.

"The Winter Road Maintenance entry focused on the above-and-beyond efforts of employees across the state," she added. "It was truly a testament to the incredible efforts every day by nearly 1,000 workers to keep our roads and bridges clear and open. The Work Zone entry also had widespread significance, since it too impacts the majority of ITD workers on roadsides throughout the state."

ITD tracked 4,572 storm events last year but have already seen 6,773 storms this year and this number will likely continue to climb over the next month or so. The numbers demonstrate this winter has been more intense than recent years. However, the Mobility Score, which indicates the percentage of time during winter storms that the state roads are clear and passable, remains steady at 75 percent despite the more challenging winter.

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