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FWHA administrator to speak in Boiseat Tuesday
at transportation funding conference

Federal Highway Administrator Tom Madison will be among the featured speakers at the seventh in a series of statewide meetings examining how best to pay for the growing backlog of repair, maintenance and improvement needs for Idaho's roads and bridges.

The Idaho Transportation Funding Conference - Building Roads, Building Bridges, Building Consensus - will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Boise Centre on the Grove. From 4 to 7 p.m., the public is invited to comment about the state's transportation system after brief presentations.

Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo will host the morning session. Governor Otter, Congressman Mike Simpson and Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell Manning will host the afternoon session. Both meetings are open to the public.

Governor Otter held six statewide transportation-funding conferences this summer. The all-day conferences and evening public meetings provided opportunities for dialogue on state and local transportation needs and ways to fund them. Conference sessions were held in Caldwell, Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls.

"Idaho has reached a critical point in the funding of both its state and local transportation systems. The safety of our citizens and the strength of our economy require action," Governor Otter said. "Growth, increasing demand, soaring construction costs and shrinking revenue projections require a solution. Greater efficiency is necessary, and must continue. But we can't save our way out of a decades-long backlog. I appreciate that Idahoan's are looking at the challenges and understanding that our highways and bridges are in trouble."

The purpose of the conference is to review what was heard from citizens at the meetings, listen to presentations on some of the key issues facing Idaho's highways and bridges, and hear how other states are tackling the same challenges, said Senator John McGee, chair of the Idaho Senate Transportation Committee. McGee will introduce and summarize the morning meeting.

"In addition, through Senator Crapo and Federal Highway Administrator Tom Madison, we will learn what the outlook is for future federal transportation funding," said McGee.

The morning session of the conference also will feature the following speakers:

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Director John Horsley;
Utah Transportation Department Deputy Director Carlos Braceras;
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Director Toni Hardesty;
Idaho Department of Commerce Director Don Dietrich;
Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Darrell Manning;
Idaho Transportation Department Director Pamela Lowe;
Idaho Senator John McGee;
Idaho Representative Ken Roberts;
Idaho Association of General Contractors Director Mark Dunham;
Idaho Association of Highway Districts Director Stuart Davis; and
Idaho Department of Labor Chief Research Officer Bob Uhlenkott.

The conference agenda is accessible at itd.idaho.gov