Archives: April 2015
Accurately measuring winter operations saves $2.7 million each year
April 30, 2015
As DOT employees, we all have tasks to accomplish. Have you ever asked yourself or has your supervisor ever asked you if the tasks you’re working on are really what need to be done to reach the goals of your work unit?
This basic performance-based question is critical as we think about how we, as an agency, move forward. As you read in a previous blog post on the DOT’s strategic planning process, management team developed five key initiatives that guide change at the department to lead us to our vision of Smarter, Simpler, Customer Driven. The first initiative is performance management.
Innovative I-74 bridge feature wins an Eddy Award
April 29, 2015
Casting a vision and forging a new path are often key concepts of leadership. For the Interstate 74 construction project in the Quad Cities, the vision is to strengthen the vital link between Iowa and Illinois. The new path included an innovative trail along the I-74 bridge crossing the Mississippi River and connecting Davenport, Iowa, to Moline, Ill., to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to utilize the structure.
Message Monday - April 27, 2015 - Headlights on, wipers on
April 27, 2015
Spring is in the air. Green grass, construction zones and rain showers are all signs that we made it through the winter. Two phrases that are synonymous with this time of year could not be more true. “April showers bring May flowers” and “Wipers on, head lights on.”
Modernizing Iowa’s highways – what does that really mean?
April 20, 2015
As part of a series of blog posts about transportation asset management and what that means at the Iowa Department of Transportation, this article focuses on a little Iowa transportation system history and where we go from here.
Message Monday - April 20, 2015 - Don't be a number
April 20, 2015
Too many times in life we are assigned a number - whether it is a social security number, driver’s license number, phoning a radio station just to hear “...you are now caller 7,” or at the lunch counter, “…now serving number 25.” In these situations, you don’t get the chance to speak up and say “I’m not just a number.”
Personnel updates for March 27 to April 9 , 2015
April 17, 2015
Information provided by the Office of Employee Services
Changing the strategy behind strategic planning at the Iowa DOT
April 13, 2015
Every organization produces them from time to time. You know - those strategic planning documents that a few dedicated people spend a great deal of time and careful consideration developing and then even fewer people ever look at. Is it inevitable that strategic planning isn’t engaging or interactive?
Not at the Iowa DOT. In the past few years, our organization has shifted the way we think about our strategic plan.
Message Monday - April 13, 2015
April 13, 2015
Question: Who can use a phone booth for something other than making a call? Just one person – and nobody is harmed in the few seconds it takes him to transform from Clark Kent into Superman.
Talking on your phone while driving a car is not a superhuman feat, it is just dangerous. By using your vehicle as a phone booth, you increase your risk of making a driver error that could not only kill you, but also your passengers, drivers in vehicles around you or even pedestrians.
Spring is here - share the road with farm equipment
April 10, 2015
Early spring flowers are already blooming and many Iowa farmers are preparing for planting season. As the spring planting season begins, we all need to watch out for slow-moving equipment on Iowa’s roadways.
Iowa Department of Transportation data for 2014 shows a total of 158 crashes involved farm equipment. Those crashes resulted in seven fatalities, 16 major injuries, 37 minor injuries and 36 other possible injuries. There were also 92 crashes that resulted only in property damage.
Message Monday - April 6, 2015
April 6, 2015
Would you use your turn signal more if you knew how many crashes occur when people don't use them?
A 2012 research study from the Society of Automotive Engineers says failure to use a turn signal resulted in more than double the amount of crashes caused by distracted driving. Click here for the report: http://papers.sae.org/2012-01-0261/