Longtime Chief Deputy will take over as new ITD Director next spring

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Transportation Board announced Friday Chief Deputy Scott Stokes will serve as the new Director of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) beginning in the spring of 2022.

“Scott has been with ITD nearly 30 years, starting as a staff engineer designing bridges and rising through the ranks of the department,” Transportation Board Chairman Bill Moad said. “The board believes strongly in building and promoting from within and creating career path opportunities for all employees. There is no greater testament to that philosophy than what Scott Stokes has accomplished at ITD.”

Current Director Brian Ness will continue to lead the department and Stokes will serve as Chief Deputy until he takes the helm on May 29, 2022.

“I appreciate what Director Ness has meant to this department the past 12 years. I am thankful for how he has helped me grow during that time and gain the valuable experience needed to lead ITD into the future. I look forward to the opportunity to take what I have learned and guide a department that fosters career advancement, innovation and delivers the best services to the citizens of Idaho,” Stokes said.

Stokes has served as ITD’s Chief Deputy the past 15 years. He is a leading advocate of the drive to achieve zero deaths on Idaho highways by promoting driver responsibility and accountability. Scott joined the department in 1991 and served several roles, including district engineer in the Coeur d’Alene area for 11 years. He also was the state bridge engineer early in his career.

Stokes will become the eighth director since ITD formed into a statewide transportation department in 1974.