Even before the Great Recession, Idaho’s highways and bridges were struggling under the weight of a huge maintenance and repair backlog and a serious long-term funding shortfall. While I wrestled with legislators and stakeholders about how to address the challenges, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) took the bull by the horns, adopting a more innovative and efficient approach to building and maintaining the state’s transportation system.
ITD Director Brian Ness led a grassroots renaissance focused on enabling and encouraging his employees to think and act more creatively, putting aside entrenched practices to get to what matters – results.
