Federal Highway Administration 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Section 1303 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) amends 23 U.S.C. 112 to require the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contracting method. This NPRM initiates the formal rulemaking process to fulfill the legislative requirement and establish such regulations as are necessary for the FHWA's approval of projects using the CM/GC method of contracting.

This notice announces the availability of funding and requests grant applications for FHWA's Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds (TTPSF). In addition, this notice identifies selection criteria, application requirements, and technical assistance during the grant solicitation period for the TTPSF. The TTPSF is authorized within the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP- 21), as extended. The FHWA will distribute these funds as described in this notice on a competitive basis in a manner consistent with the selection criteria.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The purpose of the SEIS is to evaluate new information regarding environmental impacts and the alternatives described in the March 2001 FEIS.

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of a new information collection that is summarized below.

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on August 1, 2014. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice announces actions taken by FHWA and other Federal Agencies that are final in the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project corridor connecting Trunk Highway 169 and United States Highway 212 in the vicinity of Trunk Highway 41 in the Counties of Scott and Carver, State of Minnesota. The Federal decisions of a tiered environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4351 (NEPA), and implementing regulations on tiering, 40 CFR 1502.20 and 40 CFR 1508.28, determined certain issues relating to the proposed action. Those Tier I decisions will be used by Federal agencies in subsequent proceedings, including decisions whether to grant licenses, permits, and approvals for highway project(s).

The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on November 12, 2014. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA requests comments on a proposed revision to design standards and standard specifications that applies to new construction, reconstruction, resurfacing (except for maintenance resurfacing), restoration, and rehabilitation projects on the National Highway System (NHS). The proposed rule would incorporate by reference the latest versions of design standards and standard specifications previously adopted and incorporated by reference under 23 CFR part 625, and would remove the corresponding outdated or superseded versions of these standards and specifications. The proposed rule also would make technical changes to the regulatory text consistent with updated Federal Register procedures.

This notice provides information regarding FHWA's finding that a Buy America waiver is appropriate for the obligation of Federal-aid funds for 21 State projects involving the acquisition of vehicles and equipment on the condition that they be assembled in the U.S.

This rule updates the regulations governing the procurement, management, and administration of engineering and design related services directly related to a highway construction project and reimbursed with Federal-aid highway program (FAHP) funding. In issuing the final rule, FHWA revises the regulations to conform to changes in legislation and other applicable regulations [including the DOT's recent adoption of the revised ``Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,'' and removal of outdated references] and addresses certain findings and recommendations for the oversight of consultant services contained in national review and audit reports.

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, US 50/Rancho Cordova Parkway, Sacramento County, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

This notice provides information regarding FHWA's finding that a Buy America waiver is appropriate for the use of non-domestic steel cable nets for truck escape ramps used in a dragnet impact absorption system on State route (SR) 431, US550, and SR163 in the State of Nevada.

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans, that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, the State Route (SR) 85 Express Lanes Project from Post Miles 0.0 to R24.1 on SR 85, Post Miles 23.1 to 28.6 on United States Highway 101 (US 101), and Post Miles 47.9 to 52.0 on US 101 in the County of Santa Clara, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection, which is summarized below under Supplementary Information. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on August 28, 2014. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA and other Federal Agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to the Wisconsin (WIS) 164 reconditioning project from County Trunk Highway (CTH) Q to CTH E in Washington County, Wisconsin. Those actions grant approvals for the project.

FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on August 28, 2014. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA and other Federal agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. Sec. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, Trinity Parkway from Interstate Highway 35 East (IH35E)/State Highway (SH) 183 to U.S. 175/SH 310 in the County of Dallas, State of Texas. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

This notice announces actions taken by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Federal agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, US 183 from US 290 to SH 71 (Bergstrom Expressway) in Travis County in the State of Texas. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

The FHWA is extending the comment period for a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and request for comments, which was published on February 20, 2015, at 80 FR 9231. The original comment period is set to close on April 21, 2015. The extension is based on concern expressed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) that the April 21 closing date does not provide sufficient time to review and provide comprehensive comments. The FHWA recognizes that others interested in commenting may have similar concerns and agrees that the comment period should be extended. Therefore, the closing date for comments is changed to May 29, 2015, which will provide AASHTO and others interested in commenting additional time to discuss, evaluate, and submit responses to the docket.

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project known as CURE Safety Improvement that proposes to remove all fixed objects in the clear recovery zone along a 4-mile section of the southbound roadside of Highway 101 between King City and Greenfield in Monterey County, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and FHWA procedures, this notice announces the availability of the ROD regarding the South Mountain Freeway project in Phoenix, AZ. The Arizona Division Administrator signed the ROD on March 5, 2015. In addition, this notice announces actions taken by FHWA and other Federal agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to the design and construction of the Selected Alternative for the South Mountain Freeway project. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans, that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, Interstate 5 from the cities of San Clemente to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to renew two information collections, which are 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 proposes to establish a process for the development of a State asset management plan in accordance with section 1106 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), to improve or preserve the condition of the assets and the performance of the National Highway System (NHS) as they relate to physical assets. In this document ``asset management plan'' and ``risk-based asset management plan'' are used interchangeably. An asset management plan is a key management tool for highway infrastructure owners. State departments of transportation (State DOT) increasingly use asset management plans to make decisions about where and when to invest State and Federal funds in highway infrastructure improvements to achieve and sustain a desired state of good repair over the life cycle of the assets at minimum practicable cost. The development and implementation of an asset management plan also is an important part of the overall MAP-21 framework for enhancing the management and performance of transportation highway infrastructure funded through the Federal-aid highway program (FAHP). The asset management plan required by section 1106 of MAP-21 will provide States with critical data and identify investment and management strategies to improve or preserve the condition of the assets and the performance of the NHS. Under section 1106, the plan must include strategies leading to a program of projects that would make progress toward achievement of the State targets for asset condition and performance of the NHS in accordance with section 1203(a) of MAP-21, and supporting progress toward the achievement of the national goals identified in section 1203(a). While the primary purpose of this proposed rule is to address asset management plan requirements in section 1106, this proposed rule also would address other MAP-21 requirements that relate to asset management. The proposed rule defines the minimum standards that States would use in developing and operating highway bridge and pavement management systems as required by section 1203(a) of MAP-21. Also, this proposed rule would address the requirements in section 1315(b) of MAP- 21 by requiring States to conduct statewide evaluations to determine if reasonable alternatives exist to roads, highways, or bridges that repeatedly require repair and reconstruction activities from emergency events. The proposed rule would require State DOTs to take these evaluations into account in their asset management plans for facilities that are included in the plans.

The FHWA is extending the comment period for a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and request for comments, which was published on January 5, 2015, at 80 FR 326. The original comment period is set to close on April 6, 2015. The extension is based on concern expressed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (Oregon DOT) that as a result of the scope and complexity of the NPRM the April 6 closing date does not provide sufficient time to review and provide comprehensive comments. The FHWA recognizes that others interested in commenting may have similar concerns and agrees that the comment period should be extended. Therefore, the closing date for comments is changed to May 8, 2015, which will provide AASHTO, the Oregon DOT, and others interested in commenting additional time to discuss, evaluate, and submit responses to the docket.