Idaho Transportation department says innovations saved $4.7 million

The Idaho Transportation Department says a unique innovation program has resulted in $4.7 million in savings or efficiencies since it was implemented in 2014. The “Innovate ITD” program encouraged 1,600 ITD employees across the state to share their ideas on how to improve performance. ITD said the program has resulted in 600 innovations, 148,000 saved personnel hours, and 240 customer-service improvements. Eastern Idaho’s District 6 was the first ITD district to amass savings of more than $1 million. The district claims it has produced nearly $3 million in savings, most recently with expense reductions on two major projects. In one, engineers chose to use a culvert rather than a bridge to carry water under Idaho 33 in Mud Lake. Another project replaced 17 bridges in eastern, southeast, and south-central Idaho under a single contract. The project saved money on bridge replacement by collecting engineering data for the bridges as a whole, rather than individually. According to ITD, collecting bulk data on bridge alignment, subsurface stability, right-of-way footprints, and hydraulic properties saved approximately $100,000 per bridge, compared to preparing a contract for each bridge. “Innovation saves time and money for the agency and thus for taxpayers,” said District 6 Head Engineer Jason Minzghor. “Innovation improves individual performance, furthering customer service while promoting safety, mobility and economic opportunity for the traveling public.”