Federal Highway Administration July 2, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has requested FHWA approval of INDOT's proposed plan to temporarily close a segment of I-70 (from the I-70/I-465 west leg interchange to the I-70/I-65 south split interchange) on October 7, 2010, for a 12-hour period from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The closure is requested to accommodate a concentrated I-70 beautification project sponsored by INDOT. The request is based on the provisions 23 CFR 658.11 which authorizes the deletion of segments of the federally designated routes that make up the National Network designated in Appendix A of 23 CFR Part 658 upon approval by the FHWA.

This notice provides information regarding the FHWA's finding that a Buy America waiver is appropriate for the use of non-domestic high strength steel bars ASTM A722M 150 ksi (1\7/8\ inches in diameter) for emergency repairs of broken eye bars on the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in California. These emergency repairs did not require prior FHWA authorization. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) conducted a search and was not able to find a domestic source for the high strength steel bars ASTM A722M 150 ksi (1\7/8\ inches in diameter). As a result, Caltrans proceeded to utilize a foreign source for this product. Based on the emergency situation, and Caltrans' reasonable efforts to comply with Buy America, the FHWA concludes that a public interest waiver is appropriate for the use of non-domestic high strength steel bars for emergency repairs of broken eye bars on the San Francisco Oakland Bridge in California.

Section 5207 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) established the Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program (STEP). The FHWA anticipates that the STEP or a similar program to provide resources for national research on issues related to planning, environment, and realty will be included in future surface transportation legislation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, the FHWA expects to seek partnerships that can leverage limited research funding in the STEP with other stakeholders and partners in order to increase the total amount of resources available to meet the Nation's surface transportation research needs.