AASHTO Journal - ITD and Arizona DOT Celebrate 50th Anniversaries

The Idaho Transportation Department or ITD and the Arizona Department of Transportation recently celebrated their respective 50th anniversaries.

[Above photo by ITD]

The ITD released a special video detailing its history. The ITD was officially established on July 1, 1974; combining the Department of Highways, Aeronautics, Public Transportation, and the Traffic Safety Commission into one single agency.

This administrative shift set in motion a series of changes, including appointing Darrell Manning as ITD’s first director, who headed up the agency from 1974 to 1985.

“ITD has been serving the citizens of Idaho for much longer than 50 years, however we feel that it is important to recognize this date and its importance,” said Scott Stokes, the agency’s current director, in a statement. He added that everything ITD does, “helps enhance quality of life in our great state.”

Meanwhile, the Arizona DOT was also formed in July 1974 via the combination of the Arizona Highway Department and Arizona Aeronautics Department.

When the Arizona DOT was created, there were also about 5,800 miles of state highway in existence and the interstate system in Arizona was 86 percent complete. Since then, the agency has added more than 1,100 miles to the state’s transportation system.

“Our state is more connected than ever,” noted Arizona DOT Director Jennifer Toth in a statement. “Our employees have worked hard over the decades to expand and improve Arizona’s transportation system. Because of that, people can safely travel throughout our state and businesses can grow.”

The Arizona DOT has also had seven other directors over five decades, including Mary Peters, who served from 1998 until 2001, when she became administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. In 2006, Peters went on to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Meanwhile, former Arizona DOT Director Victor Mendez also served as FHWA administrator for five years, before serving as USDOT deputy secretary from 2014 to 2017.