BOISE — To help get the word out to drivers prior to major commute impacts on Interstate 84, the Idaho Transportation Department recently launched a new podcast.
“The intent of this innovation is to reach a different audience than television, radio, or other media,” said ITD spokesman Reed Hollinshead.
The initial focus of the podcast is to alert motorists to construction projects and their impact -- especially on morning and evening commutes -– along I-84 in Canyon County, he added.
Future podcasts will address significant milestones and upcoming traffic switches as the work in the Nampa-to-Caldwell corridor kicks into high gear later this summer -- and for the next few construction seasons.
The I-84 Corridor team brainstormed the podcast idea back in 2018 and began to work on the first few podcasts late last year. Former Boise television broadcaster and current ITD Communication Manager Vince Trimboli emcees the podcast and brings on various guest experts to discuss specific topics. You can listen to the first podcast here.
“The podcast is an outreach tool that the Department hadn’t yet put into practice, and we thought that with the many commuters on the I-84 corridor, perhaps we could give people another way to keep in touch with what we’re planning and doing in the corridor,” said GARVEE Manager Amy Schroeder, Trimboli’s first guest on the podcast.
The podcast name “Drive Idaho.’ “It was chosen because it represents what the Department does every day, and can be used statewide,” Hollinshead said.
(photo courtesy: Ada County Highway District)
