Federal Highway Administration 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans that are final. The actions relate to a proposed highway project, the State Route 1 (SR 1) Lagunitas Creek Bridge Project from post miles 28.4 to 28.6 on SR 1 in the County of Marin, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

FHWA, on behalf of TxDOT, is issuing this notice to advise the public that an EIS will be prepared for a proposed transportation project to construct a new location four lane roadway in and near the City of Kyle in Hays County. The roadway would start west of Kyle and run east to Interstate 35 (I-35), and may follow portions of existing Ranch-to-Market (RM) 150, from west of Arroyo Ranch Road, running east to I-35.

The FHWA is soliciting comments regarding proposed guidance on implementation of a Safe Harbor indirect cost rate for certain engineering design service firms that find establishing such rates to be costly and a barrier to participating in engineering and design service contracts reimbursed with Federal-aid Highway Program (FAHP) Funds. The FHWA seeks comment on its proposed implementation of a Safe Harbor indirect cost rate and its intention to notify all contracting agencies receiving FAHP funds that an agency-developed Safe Harbor indirect cost rate for eligible consulting firms may be used as a component of a risk-based oversight process to provide reasonable assurance to FHWA that consultant costs on FAHP-funded contracts are allowable in accordance with the Federal regulations.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed transportation improvement project in Lake, Cook and McHenry Counties in Illinois.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that we are rescinding the 2002 NOI to prepare an EIS for the proposed construction of a new segment of Interstate 66 (I-66) between the Somerset Northern Bypass and London, Kentucky.

The FHWA has announced that the Indefinite Delivery and Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) method of contracting, including job order contracts, for low-cost construction contracts will be allowed, without FHWA approval, under certain circumstances. This advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeks comment on how FHWA may further expand this contracting method on a permanent basis.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that we are rescinding the 2003 Record of Decision (ROD) and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that proposed to construct a segment of Interstate 66 (I-66) between eastern Pike County, Kentucky and western Mingo County, West Virginia.

FHWA will conduct a series of public meetings to seek input on the integration of automated vehicles on the Nation's roadways that will be held at different locations across the country. The objectives of the public meetings are to: engage with a diverse group of stakeholders to understand key issues regarding automated vehicles and their implications for the roadway infrastructure; and gather input on highway automation to help inform FHWA research, policy, and programs. The public meetings will have presentations and breakout sessions during which participants can provide written and oral comments. This meeting is the first in a series of related public meetings being conducted during 2018.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on February 21, 2018. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on February 21, 2018. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

The FHWA, on behalf of Caltrans, is issuing this notice to announce actions taken by Caltrans, that are final. The actions relate to a proposed highway project, U.S. Route 101 (US-101) between postmile 32.8 to postmile 33.8, immediately west of Liberty Canyon Road, in the City of Agoura Hills, in the County of Los Angeles, State of California. Those actions grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on December 28, 2017. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

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, and would remove the corresponding outdated or superseded versions of these standards and specifications. Use of the updated standards will be required for all NHS projects authorized to proceed with design activities on or after the effective date of the final rule.

The 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 are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The FHWA is announcing that the Indefinite Delivery and Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) method of contracting (including Job Order Contracts) for low-cost construction contracts in the Federal-aid highway program will be allowed, without prior FHWA approval, under certain circumstances.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on December 6, 2017. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) established the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program that allows a State to assume FHWA's environmental responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, and compliance under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Federal highway projects. When a State assumes these Federal responsibilities, the State becomes solely responsible and liable for carrying out the responsibilities it has assumed, in lieu of FHWA. This program mandates annual audits during each of the first 4 years of State participation to ensure compliance with program requirements. This notice announces and solicits comments on the second audit report for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on February 8, 2018. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, this notice announces that FHWA will submit the collection of information described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on February 8, 2018. The PRA submission describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

The FHWA withdraws its August 4, 2014, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which proposed to establish a weighting factor of 5.0, to be used in determining the weighted population of fine particulate (PM2.5) nonattainment areas. The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) language for the CMAQ Program funds that must be obligated for PM2.5 projects in PM2.5 nonattainment and maintenance areas (referred to in this document as a ``set-aside'') instructs that the set-aside be calculated based on ``weighted population'' in PM2.5 nonattainment areas. Because the statute did not specify the values to be applied to determine the weighted population, FHWA had previously initiated a rulemaking to establish the weighting factor. After reviewing the record in this matter, FHWA withdraws the NPRM.

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) established the Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program that allows a State to assume FHWA's environmental responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, and compliance under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Federal highway projects. When a State assumes these Federal responsibilities, the State becomes solely responsible and liable for carrying out the responsibilities it has assumed, in lieu of FHWA. This program mandates annual audits during each of the first 4 years of State participation to ensure compliance with program requirements. This notice announces and solicits comments on the first audit report for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT).

The Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program allows a State to assume FHWA's environmental responsibilities for review, consultation, and compliance for Federal highway projects. When a State assumes these Federal responsibilities, the State becomes solely responsible and liable for carrying out the responsibilities it has assumed, in lieu of FHWA. Prior to the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, the Program required semiannual audits during each of the first 2 years of State participation to ensure compliance by each State participating in the Program. This notice finalizes the findings of the fourth audit report for the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) participation in accordance with these pre-FAST Act requirements.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement will not be prepared for a proposed transportation project in Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois between the intersection of Illinois Route 3 with Illinois Route 146 and Interstate 57.

The FHWA, as the Lead Federal Agency, and MDOT SHA, as the Local Project Sponsor, are issuing this notice to advise the public of our intention to prepare an EIS for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study (Study). The Study is the first element of a broader Traffic Relief Plan as announced by Governor Larry Hogan in September 2017, which considers improvements along the entire length of I-495 (Capital Beltway), as well as the entire length of I-270 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway) up to I-70 in Frederick County, Maryland. This EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of alternatives that address congestion within the specific Study scope of I-495 from south of the American Legion Bridge in Fairfax County, Virginia to east of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 from I-495 to I-370, including the east and west I-270 spurs in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and provisions of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and will include a range of reasonable alternatives, including a ``No Build'' alternative.

This notice announces actions taken by the FHWA and the USFWS that are final pursuant to the statute. The actions relate to the proposed highway project for a 26-mile segment of Interstate 69 (I-69) in the Counties of Morgan, Johnson, and Marion, State of Indiana, and grant licenses, permits, and approvals for the project.