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

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew an information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on May 19, 2010. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew an information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on May 19, 2010. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that 15 States, including the District of Columbia, have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOIs) to prepare 20 Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for proposed highway projects. The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs), determined that nine projects were no longer viable and have formally cancelled the projects. No further Federal resources will be expended on these projects; the environmental review process has been terminated. Nine projects have been reduced in scope and now meet the criteria for an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a Categorical Exclusion (CE). One project is now proceeding as a corridor study. One project was rescinded as the FHWA is no longer the lead Federal agency for the project.

This notice announces actions taken by FHWA that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, the SR 502 Corridor Widening Project, in the State of Washington. Those actions grant approval for the project. The project will widen the existing two-lane roadway to four travel lanes with a median for a 5-mile segment of SR 502 between NE 15th Avenue and NE 102nd Avenue in Clark County, Washington. Specific actions include acquiring additional right-of-way, signalizing three intersections, upgrading one existing signalized intersection, constructing new travel lanes, constructing a median with a median treatment, constructing pedestrian and bicycle facilities, replacing four culverts, removing and placing fill, removing vegetation, and providing stormwater treatment for both new impervious surfaces and some existing surfaces. The project also includes extensive mitigation and restoration actions which are compatible with land use plans.

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA solicits comments concerning the establishment of National Tunnel Inspection Standards (NTIS). The NTIS would set minimum tunnel inspection standards that apply to all tunnels constructed or renovated with title 23 Federal funds that are located on public roads and tunnels on Federal-aid highways. The agency proposes modeling the NTIS after the existing National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) as applicable. The NTIS would include requirements for inspection procedures for structural elements and functional systems, including mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and ventilation systems; qualifications for inspectors; inspection frequencies; and a National Tunnel Inventory (NTI).

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 a proposed highway project, US-95 Garwood to Sagle Environmental Study in Bonner and Kootenai Counties in the State of Idaho, FHWA-ID-EIS-06-F Federal-Aid project number NH-5110(141), Idaho Transportation Department Key Number 9779.

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.