Federal Highway Administration February 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The goal of the Rural Safety Innovation Program is to improve rural road safety by assisting rural communities in addressing highway safety problems and by providing rural communities the opportunity to compete for project funding to address these problems. The program will encourage States and rural communities to develop creative, locally crafted solutions to roadway safety problems, document their efforts and outcomes, and share the results with other communities across the country. Through the Rural Safety Innovation Program, the Department aims to heighten awareness and interest in rural safety issues, and promote the benefits of rural safety countermeasures which can reduce rural crashes and fatalities nationwide. By providing technical assistance and best practice guidance from the program we will give States and rural road owners better tools to improve road safety in their communities. The primary objectives of the Rural Safety Innovation Program are to: i. Improve safety on local and rural roads with innovative approaches in which rural communities develop and design local solutions to their roadway safety problems. ii. Provide best practices and lessons learned on innovative safety technologies to assist local and rural road owners and operators in the development and implementation of infrastructure-based rural safety countermeasures that complement behavioral safety efforts. iii. Promote national awareness and interest in addressing rural safety issues. iv. Promote the use of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies to improve safety on rural roads.

The FHWA, on behalf of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed highway widening project on Interstate 5 in the cities of Santa Fe Springs, Commerce, Montebello, Downey, and East Los Angeles, in Los Angeles County, California.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of an extension of a currently approved information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on October 29, 2007. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice announces that Federal actions taken by the California Department of Transportation (Department) pursuant to its assigned responsibilities under 23 U.S.C. 327, as well as actions by other Federal agencies, are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139 (l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed Interstate 80 Across the Top Bus/Carpool Lanes Project (Post Miles 0.3 to 10.4), from west of West El Camino Avenue to Watt Avenue in Sacramento County, State of California. This action grants approval for the project.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public and other agencies that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed transportation project in Albuquerque, NM.

The FHWA and FTA are jointly issuing this Revised Notice of Intent (NOI) to advise the public of modifications to the environmental review process for the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). These revisions include the intent of FHWA and FTA to use a tiered process to facilitate project decision-making, and the intent of FHWA and FTA to utilize the environmental review provisions afforded under Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The EIS will build upon the extensive alternatives analysis, environmental and technical studies and public comments and outreach conducted to date, which are available online at the project's Web site (www.tzbsite.com). This NOI revises the NOI that was published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2002. The proposed tiering approach will allow the joint lead agencies to focus on both broad overall corridor issues in a Tier 1 transit analysis of general alignment and mode choice while simultaneously assessing site specific impacts, costs and mitigation measures in a Tier 2 bridge and highway analysis. The scope of analysis in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 will be appropriate to the level of detail necessary for those documents and will receive input from the public and reviewing agencies. The intent of the joint lead agencies is for the Tier 1 and Tier 2 analyses to be developed concurrently in order to maximize the efficiencies and potential for multimodal solutions. The Tier 1 transit analysis will provide the basis for a corridor level decision on transit mode(s), alignment(s), and logical termini within the Corridor and sufficient detail of impact assessments and preliminary engineering to allow the Tier 2 highway and bridge elements to proceed to final design and construction. Because the transportation needs of the corridor require a multimodal solution, the highway, bridge, and transit elements are intricately tied to one another and require iterative and concurrent development, analysis and consideration up to the decision on mode and alignment. Once the transit mode and alignment decisions are made, the analysis can focus on the needs of the corridor which includes the structural needs of the existing Tappan Zee Bridge and associated highway network, while preserving the transit corridor within the existing right of way. Additional purposes of this revised NOI are to: Advise the public of lead agency roles. Outline how the provisions of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 will be met. Update interested parties regarding the current approach to preparing the EIS. Provide updated information on the proposed project, purpose and need for the project, and range of alternatives. Re-invite participation in the EIS process, including comments on the refined scope of the EIS proposed in this notice. Announce the dates, times and locations of upcoming scoping update meetings.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to the Harrisonburg Southeast Connector Location Study in Rockingham County and the City of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

This notice announces actions taken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) pursuant to its assigned responsibilities under 23 U.S.C. 327, as well as certain Federal agencies, are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C.139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, Freeman Gulch Four-Lane project between post miles 45.9 to 62.3 along State Route 14 in Kern County, State of California. Those actions grant approvals for the project.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA and the USFWS that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project for a 13.1 mile segment of I-69, in the Counties of Warrick and Gibson, State of Indiana and grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.