[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 8, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45093-45095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12793]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2006-25524]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: 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 18, 2006. We are required to publish this notice in 
the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by September 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. 
You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, 
including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary for the 
FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways 
for the FHWA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 
collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized, 
including the use of electronic technology, without reducing the 
quality of the collected information. All comments should include the 
Docket number FHWA-2006-25524.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the National 
Historic Covered Bridge Program, please contact Dr. Edgar P. Small, 
Office of Bridge Technology, HIBT-30, at (202) 366-4622, FAX (202) 366-
3077, or e-mail [email protected]; and Mr. Everett Mattias, Office of 
Bridge Technology, HIBT-30, at (202) 366-6712, FAX (202) 366-3077, or 
e-mail [email protected]. For legal questions, please contact Mr. 
Robert Black, Office of the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-1359, 
[email protected]; Federal Highway Administration, Department 
of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. 
Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t. Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program.
    OMB Control Number: 2125-0609.
    Frequency: Annual.
    Respondents: The 50 State DOTs, Puerto Rico and the District of 
Columbia.

Background

    Covered bridges are unique structures embodying character, 
functionality and historical prominence. The National Historic Covered 
Bridge Preservation Program has been established to find comprehensive 
and proven means of maintaining the ability of these vestiges of our 
bridge-building heritage to

[[Page 45094]]

continue to serve current and future generations. The program was 
originally established under section 1224 of TEA-21 and continued under 
Section 1804 of SAFETEA-LU. The legislation authorizes $10 million 
annually to be appropriated for each fiscal year between FY 2006 and FY 
2009. The program is established to provide grants to States for 
rehabilitation, repair and preservation of historic covered bridges and 
to enable the Secretary of Transportation to perform research and 
initiate education programs on historic covered bridges.
    Projects eligible for grants include rehabilitation and repair 
together with preservation through: Installation of fire protection 
systems, including a fireproofing or fire detection system and 
sprinklers, installation of a system to prevent vandalism and arson, or 
relocation of a bridge to a preservation site. The statute requires 
that, to the maximum extent practicable, grant projects are carried out 
in the most historically appropriate manner, preserve the existing 
structure of the historic covered bridge, and provide for the 
replacement of wooden components with wooden components, unless the use 
of wood is impracticable for safety reasons.
    Research and education activities include the collection and 
dissemination of information on historic covered bridges; conducting 
educational programs relating to the history and construction 
techniques of historic covered bridges; conducting research on the 
history of historic covered bridges; and conducting research on, and 
study techniques for, protecting historic covered bridges from rot, 
fire, natural disasters, or weight-related damage.

Guidelines and Administration

    To administer this program for fiscal years 2006 through 2009, the 
FHWA will collect information necessary to evaluate and rank projects. 
The information collection was developed considering public input \1\ 
and is intended to only address the project funding allotted through 
the program. Research funding will be administered separately through 
the FHWA Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D) at the 
Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center, who will also administer the 
research and education activities. The FHWA Office of Bridge Technology 
will administer the grant program to assist the States in their efforts 
to rehabilitate, repair or preserve the Nation's historic covered 
bridges, which are listed or eligible for listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places. The FHWA will award grants based on 
applications received and funds available through accompanying 
appropriations legislation.
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    \1\ Implementation Guidance for the National Historic Covered 
Bridge Preservation Program, August 23, 2000; 65 FR 51401.
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Information Proposed for Collection

    Information recommended under TEA-21 and proposed for the current 
program includes the following:
     State's Priority Ranking;
     National Bridge Inventory (NBI) Structure Number;
     Bridge Name;
     Description of Location;
     Congressional District and Representative;
     Year Built;
     Whether the structure is on or eligible for listing on the 
National Register of Historic Places and description of the qualities 
that qualify the bridge for the National Register;
     Structure description (e.g., number of spans, length, 
width, design type, description of decking, beams/stringers, sides and 
roof, wood species, wood preservation system in use, builder, traffic 
carried, etc.);
     General plan and elevation;
     Description of previous repair work (description, year, 
etc.);
     Description of proposed work including wood preservative 
system, fire protection, vandalism and arson prevention systems to be 
used;
     Indication of whether the State has a historic bridge 
inventory/management plan accepted by the State Historic Preservation 
Officer (SHPO). A programmatic agreement for historic bridges with the 
SHPO, FHWA and the Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation (ACHP) may 
substitute;
     Description of whether the SHPO has reviewed and certified 
this project is warranted in accordance with the SHPO's statewide 
historic preservation plan; how it benefits statewide preservation 
efforts; how it enhances cultural tourism or enhances the history/
economic development of the community; and other benefits upon 
successful completion of this project;
     Amount of State or local government matching funds or 
other resources (donated materials or labor may qualify);
     A statement addressing when the project is complete, will 
the bridge meet the current State or AASHTO standards for the roadway 
classification that it carries;
     Plan for documentation of the bridge and the work 
performed;
     Scheduled start and completion date for the project (month 
and year); and
     Contact information for the State DOT, Local Agency (if 
applicable), FHWA Division Office, and State Historic Preservation 
Officer.
    As indicated above, the FHWA has developed a template for the 
application and the application may be made based on this template 
provided by the FHWA including this information. This template is 
available through the FHWA Division Offices and through the FHWA Office 
of Bridge Technology and is available at the following URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge. The template is not required but rather is 
provided for convenience of the applicants.

Burden Hours for Information Collection

    Burden hour's estimates and discussions are provided for each item 
presented and required within the application submittal process.
 State's Priority Ranking; 30 minutes
    [cir] The priority ranking will be performed by the submitting 
agency. Given that a small number of applications will be submitted by 
an individual State, the prioritization process will be limited and 30 
minutes is conservatively assumed to include any potential discussion
 NBI Structure Number 5 minutes
    [cir] Projects submitted must be legally defined as a `bridge' and 
must be located on a public road. With this constraint, each structure 
will already have an NBI Structure Number assigned
 Bridge Name; 5 minutes
    [cir] A description of the bridge may be included in the NBI 
database; however, this may or may not be the commonly referenced name 
used locally. A burden of 5 minutes is assumed to permit the applicant 
to review the NBI record and any additional documentation to isolate 
the common bridge name
 Description of Location 10 minutes
    [cir] The location is already included in the NBI database. A 
burden of 10 minutes is provided assuming that the applicant will 
elaborate on the location information
 Congressional District and Representative; 5 minutes
    [cir] The location of the bridge will be known from the information 
in the NBI database. A 5-minute burden is specified assuming that the 
applicant will have to cross reference the location with Congressional 
district maps. This time would be negligible if the State

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has employed a GIS system including the infrastructure information and 
the political boundaries
 Year Built 5 minutes
    [cir] The year built is already recorded in the National Bridge 
Inventory
 Whether the structure is on or eligible for listing on the 
National Register of Historic Places and description of the qualities 
that qualify the bridge for the National Register. 15 minutes
    [cir] The NBI record indicated whether the structure is located on 
or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The 15-minute 
burden is assumed to allow the applicant to describe the qualities that 
qualify the bridge for the National Register
 Structure description (e.g., number of spans, length, width, 
design type, description of decking, beams/stringers, sides and roof, 
wood species, wood preservation system in use, builder, traffic 
carried, etc.) 15 minutes
    [cir] Most of this information will be included within the NBI 
database or on the inspection reports. 15 minutes is assumed for the 
applicant to synthesize information
 General plan and elevation--5 minutes
    [cir] This information is available for structures that have been 
placed on the National Register of Historic Places or for those, which 
are eligible and have applications complete. This information is also 
available for projects that have completed conceptual and preliminary 
engineering and design
 Description of previous repair work (description, year, etc.); 
15 minutes
    [cir] This information is available from bridge inspection reports 
and bridge files located within the State Transportation Agency. Time 
estimated is intended for synthesis of information from other sources
 Description of proposed work including wood preservative 
system, fire protection, vandalism and arson prevention systems to be 
used; 15 minutes
    [cir] This information will be established by the need when 
identified and the details will be identified through the conceptual 
and preliminary engineering process, which is done independently. A 15-
minute burden is assumed to synthesize the existing information
 Indication of whether the State has a historic bridge 
inventory/management plan accepted by the State Historic Preservation 
Officer (SHPO). A programmatic agreement for historic bridges with the 
SHPO, FHWA and the Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation (ACHP) may 
substitute; 5 minutes
    [cir] This item is readily obtained through contact with the State 
Historic Preservation Officer
 Description of whether the SHPO has reviewed and certified 
this project is warranted in accordance with the SHPO's statewide 
historic preservation plan; how it benefits statewide preservation 
efforts; how it enhances cultural tourism or enhances the history/
economic development of the community; and other benefits upon 
successful completion of this project; 45 minutes
    [cir] This information is readily obtained through contact with the 
State Historic Preservation Officer. A total of 45 minutes includes 
time for the State Historic Preservation Officer to review the project, 
in relation to the statewide preservation efforts, to articulate the 
benefits, and to document the findings
 Amount of State or local government matching funds or other 
resources (donated materials or labor may qualify); 5 minutes
    [cir] A nominal amount of time is required to document the matching 
funds and amounts
     When the project is complete, will the bridge meet the 
current State or AASHTO standards for the roadway classification that 
it carries; 5 minutes
    [cir] A nominal amount of time is required to ascertain and 
identify whether the bridge will meet the standards for the roadway 
classification as any exception to the standard will be identified 
through the preliminary engineering process and already documented
 Plan for documentation of the bridge and the work performed. 
15 minutes
    [cir] A plan for documentation is encouraged. Typically, each State 
Transportation Agency will already have a process in place to document 
work performed. Applicants are encouraged to identify any additional 
requirements warranted for these historical structures and to 
articulate the overall plan within the application
 Scheduled start and completion date for the project (month and 
year)--5 minutes
    [cir] This will be determined through other processes that are 
performed independent of this program, including preliminary 
engineering and the STIP process. The available information must be 
synthesized on the application, which takes a nominal amount of time
 Contact information for the State DOT, Local Agency (if 
applicable), FHWA Division Office, and State Historic Preservation 
Officer: 5 minutes
    [cir] This requires providing a list of contacts and involves a 
nominal amount of time

    The total amount of time estimated to complete the application is 
3\1/2\ hours. It is estimated that FHWA will receive 30 reports giving 
us a total of 105 burden hours.
    Electronic Access: Internet users may access all comments received 
by the U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource 
locator (URL): http://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours each day, 365 days each 
year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and 
help.

    Authority : The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: August 1, 2006.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-12793 Filed 8-7-06; 8:45 am]
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