[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 221 (Friday, November 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64697-64700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22432]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Announcement of Application Procedure and Deadlines for the Truck 
Parking Initiative

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of applications.

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SUMMARY: This notice solicits applications for the truck parking 
initiative for which funding is available under section 1305 of the 
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU directed the Secretary to 
establish a pilot program to address the shortage of long-term parking 
for commercial motor vehicles on the National Highway System. States, 
metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and local governments are 
eligible for the funding available for fiscal years (FY) 2006-2009. 
Section 1305 allows for a wide range of eligible projects, ranging from 
construction of spaces and other capital improvements to using 
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology to increase 
information on the availability of both public and private commercial 
vehicle parking spaces. For purposes of this program, long-term parking 
is defined as parking available for 10 or more consecutive hours.

DATES: Applications must be received by the FHWA Division Office no 
later than February 14, 2008.

ADDRESSES: The FHWA Division Office locations can be found at the 
following URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/field.html#fieldsites.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael P. Onder, Office of 
Freight Management and Operations, (202) 366-2639, 
[email protected], for legal questions, Mr. Robert Black, Office of 
the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-1359, [email protected]; Federal 
Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 
4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

    An electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office 
of the Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the 
Government Printing Office's Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.

I. Background

    The Truck Parking Initiative furthers the goals of the Department 
of Transportation's new National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on 
America's Transportation Network, announced on May 16, 2006.\1\ By 
creating a program that provides funds to address long-term truck 
parking on the National Highway System, the Department anticipates that 
commercial motor vehicles will be better able to plan rest stops and 
better time their transit or loading/unloading within urban areas, 
thereby reducing the urban area's congestion.
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    \1\ Speaking before the National Retail Federation's annual 
conference on May 16, 2006, in Washington, D.C., former U.S. 
Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta unveiled a new 
plan to reduce congestion plaguing America's roads, rail, and 
airports. The National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's 
Transportation Network includes a number of initiatives designed to 
reduce transportation congestion. The transcript of these remarks is 
available at the following URL: http://dot.gov/minetasp051606.htm.
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    The shortage of long-term truck parking on the National Highway 
System (NHS) is a problem that needs to be addressed. The 2002 FHWA 
Report ``Study of Adequacy of Parking Facilities'' \2\ indicated that 
while truck parking shortages are either non-existent or corridor-
specific in some States, severe and pervasive shortages exist in some 
States and regions. The report recommendations include expansion or 
improvement of public rest areas; expansion or improvement of 
commercial truck stops and travel plazas; use of public-private 
partnerships; educating or informing drivers about available spaces; 
and changing current parking rules. This lack of available parking not 
only adds to congestion in urban areas, but also may affect safety by 
reducing the opportunities for drivers to obtain rest needed to comply 
with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, Hours

[[Page 64698]]

of Service of Drivers (49 CFR 395.3(a)(1)), which prohibit ``driving 
more than 11 cumulative hours following 10 consecutive hours off-
duty.'' Further, parking areas are often designed or maintained for 
short-term parking only, and as a result, allow parking for limited 
time periods. Section 1305 of SAFETEA-LU (Pub. L. 109-59; Aug. 10, 
2005) directed the Secretary of Transportation to establish a pilot 
program to address the long-term parking shortages along the NHS. 
Eligible projects under section 1305 include projects that:
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    \2\ A copy of this document is available at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/media/repctoc.htm.
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    1. Promote the real-time dissemination of publicly or privately 
provided commercial motor vehicle parking availability on the NHS using 
ITS and other means;
    2. Open non-traditional facilities to commercial motor vehicle 
parking, including inspection and weigh stations, and park and ride 
facilities;
    3. Make capital improvements to public commercial motor vehicle 
parking facilities currently closed on a seasonal basis to allow the 
facilities to remain open year round;
    4. Construct turnouts along the NHS (which must comply with 
appropriate design standards) to facilitate commercial motor vehicle 
access to parking facilities, and/or improve the geometric design of 
interchanges to improve access to commercial motor vehicle parking 
facilities. This should include improvements to the local street 
network or access to the proposed parking site. Applicable references, 
including standards, recommended industry practices, and references 
that provide technical guidance to assist State and local agencies in 
addressing truck parking issues, are listed below:

AASHTO (www.transportation.org)
    A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2004 
(Green Book)
    A Policy on Design Standards Interstate System, January 2005
    Guide to Park and Ride Facilities, 2004
    Guide for Development of Rest Areas on Major Arterials and 
Freeways, Third Edition
Transportation Research Board (http://trb.org)
    Access Management Manual
Institute of Transportation Engineers (www.ite.org)
    Transportation Impact Analysis for Site Development: An ITE 
Proposed Recommended Practice, 2006

    5. Construct commercial motor vehicle parking facilities adjacent 
to commercial truck stops and travel plazas; and
    6. Construct safety rest areas that include parking for commercial 
motor vehicles.
    The FHWA believes that projects designed to disseminate information 
on the availability and/or location of public or private long-term 
parking spaces provide the greatest opportunity to maximize the 
effectiveness of this pilot program.
    The FHWA Administrator, acting on behalf of the Secretary of 
Transportation, is authorized to provide Federal grant assistance for 
the Truck Parking Facilities pilot grant program on a discretionary 
basis. After reviewing the proposals from the FY06 and FY07 
solicitations, the Administrator has decided that the best approach to 
implementing this program, and the approach that will provide the most 
comprehensive and best return on investment, is to apply this program 
on a corridor-wide basis. Many of the FY06 and FY07 proposals were 
meritorious. However, choosing from among those proposals would have 
resulted in spot relief at isolated locations across the Interstate 
system. Applying this program to a congested corridor focuses limited 
resources where deployment provides a mechanism to potentially solve 
long-term commercial motor vehicle parking for a section of the 
Interstate system.
    Accordingly, FHWA will give priority consideration to applications 
for Truck Parking projects from those States, MPO's and local 
governments that have measurable safety, congestion reduction and air 
quality benefits that are located within a Corridor of the Future. The 
States within these corridors have already proposed congestion 
mitigation and safety plans for accommodating freight traffic through 
their corridors, and have been selected as candidates to implement 
those plans should the necessary funding become available. The selected 
Corridors of the Future can be found at http://www.fightgridlocknow.gov/corridors.htm. The FHWA seeks solutions from a 
corridor perspective and encourages multi-State cooperation in 
proposing for this grant program.
    The congestion reduction criteria also support the objectives of 
the National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation 
Network (the ``Congestion Initiative'') established in May 2006 by the 
Department.
    The candidate projects must meet the eligibility criteria for the 
Truck Parking Initiative program and will be evaluated on the selection 
criteria established for the program along with the safety and 
congestion criteria described below. Although funding for the Truck 
Parking Initiative is limited, large-scale corridor focused projects 
are encouraged to apply for Truck Parking Initiative funding.
    Highway safety has been an increasing focus and priority for FHWA 
over the recent past. Targeting discretionary funding, in a results-
oriented comprehensive approach to safety, is a means of directing 
limited discretionary funding to those projects that will yield 
tangible transportation and safety benefits. With respect to safety, 
applicants should describe the safety benefits associated with the 
project or activity for which funding is sought, including whether the 
project, activity, or improvement:
     Will result in a measurable reduction in the loss of 
property, injury, or life;
     Incorporates innovative safety design or operational 
techniques, including variable pricing for congestion reduction, 
electronic tolling, barrier systems, and intersection-related 
enhancements;
     Incorporates innovative construction work zone strategies 
to improve safety;
     Is located on a rural road that is in need of priority 
attention based on analysis of safety experience; and/or
     Is located in an urban area of high injury or fatality, 
and is an initiative to improve the design, operation or other aspect 
of the existing facility that will result in a measurable safety 
improvement.
    Increasing mobility by reducing congestion has also been a priority 
for FHWA over the past few years. The application of discretionary 
funding to improve mobility and reduce congestion will yield tangible 
transportation and economic benefits that should far exceed the limited 
amount of discretionary funding provided to the project. In furtherance 
of measuring the congestion reduction and mobility benefits associated 
with a project that qualifies for funding under the Truck Parking 
Initiative program, within the application, the applicant should 
describe how the project, activity or improvement:
     Relieves congestion in an urban area or along a major 
transportation corridor;
     Employs operational and technological improvements that 
promote safety and congestion relief; and/or addresses major freight 
bottlenecks.
    Appropriate quantitative data should be provided to support the 
safety and congestion relief discussion.
    For more information on the DOT Congestion Initiative, please refer 
to http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion/index.htm.

[[Page 64699]]

II. Funding Information

    Section 1305 authorizes $6.25 million in contract authority for 
each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009. The obligation limitation 
reduction reduces the total amount of contract authority that is 
available for obligation. Funds authorized to carry out this section 
remain available until expended.
    The Administrator has determined that all 4 years of discretionary 
contracting authority under the program may be made available through 
this single solicitation. No awards will be made for the proposals 
received in response to the FY06 and FY07 solicitations. Instead, funds 
for 2006 and 2007 will be redirected under this comprehensive approach. 
Funds from FY08 and FY09 may be allocated in response to this 
solicitation, but would not be available for obligation until the 
fiscal year the funds are made available for obligation.
    Projects funded under this section shall be treated as projects on 
a Federal-aid System under Chapter 1 of Title 23, United States Code.
    Grants may be funded at an 80 to 100 percent funding level based on 
the criteria specified in Sections 120(b) and 120(c) of Title 23, 
United States Code.

III. Application Submission

    This memo will also be posted on the FHWA Office of Freight 
Management and Operations Web site, http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight. An original and 10 copies of each application must be 
submitted by a State Department of Transportation to the FHWA's Office 
of Freight Management and Operations, via the FHWA Division Office in 
the State in which the application was submitted. The FHWA Division 
Office locations can be found at the following URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/field.html#fieldsites. Electronic submissions will not 
be accepted. Awarded projects will be administered by the applicable 
State Department of Transportation as a Federal-aid grant.
    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, we have received 
clearance from OMB for this action (OMB Control number 2125-0610, March 
31, 2010).

IV. Proposal Content

    All proposals should include the following:
    1. A detailed project description, which would include the extent 
of the long-term truck parking shortage in the corridor to be 
addressed, along with contact information for the project's primary 
point of contact, and whether funds are being requested under 23 U.S.C. 
120(b) or 120(c). Data helping to define the shortage may include truck 
volume (Average Daily Truck Traffic--ADTT) in the corridor to be 
addressed, current number of long-term commercial motor vehicle parking 
spaces, use of current long-term parking spaces, driver surveys, 
observational field studies, proximity to freight loading/unloading 
facilities, and proximity to the NHS.
    2. The rationale for the project should include an analysis and 
demonstration of how the proposed project will positively affect truck 
parking, safety, traffic congestion, or air quality in the identified 
corridor. Examples may include: Advance information on availability of 
parking that may help to reduce the number of trucks parked on 
roadsides and increase the use of available truck parking spaces.
    3. The scope of work should include a complete listing of 
activities to be funded through the grant, including technology 
development, information processing, information integration 
activities, developmental phase activities (planning, feasibility 
analysis, environmental review, engineering or design work, and other 
activities), construction, reconstruction, acquisition of real property 
(including land related to the project and improvements to land), 
environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of 
equipment, and operational improvements.
    4. Stakeholder identification should include evidence of prior 
consultation and/or partnership with affected MPOs, local governments, 
community groups, private providers of commercial motor vehicle 
parking, and motorist and trucking organizations. Also, include a 
listing of all public and private partners, and the role each will play 
in the execution of the project. Commitment/consultation examples may 
include: Memorandums of Agreement, Memorandums of Understanding, 
contracts, meeting minutes, letters of support/commitment, and 
documentation in a metropolitan transportation improvement program 
(TIP) or statewide transportation improvement program (STIP).
    5. A detailed quantification of eligible project costs by activity, 
an identification of all funding sources that will supplement the grant 
and be necessary to fully fund the project, and the anticipated dates 
on which the additional funds are to be made available. Public and 
private sources of funds (non-Federal commitment) will be considered by 
the FHWA as an in-kind match contributing to the project. State 
matching funds will be required for projects eligible under 23 U.S.C. 
120(b).
    6. Applicants should provide a timeline that includes work to be 
completed and anticipated funding cycles. Gantt charts are preferred.
    7. Environmental process: Please include a timeline for complying 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, if 
applicable, or if not applicable, include a statement to that effect.
    8. Include a project map that consists of a schematic illustration 
depicting the project and connecting transportation infrastructure. 
(Although no proposals are to be submitted electronically, digital maps 
would be preferred. Please indicate in the proposal if the maps are 
available digitally.)
    9. Measurement Plan. Submitter should describe a measurement plan 
to determine whether or not the project achieved its intended results. 
The measurement plan should continue for 3 years beyond the completion 
date of the project. After the 3-year period, a final report 
quantifying the results of the project should be submitted to the FHWA.
    10. Proposals may not exceed 20 pages in length.

V. Applicant Review Information

    Grant applications that contain the elements detailed in this 
notice will be scored competitively according to the soundness of their 
methodology and subject to the criteria listed below. Sub-factors 
listed under each factor are of equal importance unless otherwise 
noted.

A. Scoring Criteria

    1. Demonstration of severe shortage (number of spaces, access to 
existing spaces or information/knowledge of space availability) of 
commercial motor vehicle parking capacity/utilization in the corridor. 
(Multi-State highway corridors are the focus of these projects. 
Consider the business requirements of getting the goods to market, 
while also considering the government regulations associated with hours 
of service.) (20 percent)
    Examples used to demonstrate severe shortage may include:
    [cir] Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) in proposal area.
    [cir] Average daily shortfall of truck parking in proposal area.
    [cir] Ratio of ADTT to average daily shortfall of truck parking in 
proposal area.
    [cir] Proximity to NHS.
    2. The extent to which the proposed solution resolves the described 
shortage (35 percent).

[[Page 64700]]

    Examples should include:
    [cir] Number of truck parking spaces per day that will be used as a 
result of the proposed solution.
    [cir] The effect on highway safety, traffic congestion, and/or air 
quality.
    3. Cost effectiveness of proposal (25 percent).
    Examples should include:
    [cir] How many truck parking spaces will be used per day per dollar 
expended?
    [cir] Total cost of project, including all non-Federal funds that 
will be contributed to the project.
    4. Scope of proposal (20 percent).
    Examples should include:
    [cir] Evidence of a wide range of input from affected parties, 
including State and local governments, community groups, private 
providers of commercial motor vehicle parking, and motorist and 
trucking organizations.
    [cir] Whether the principles outlined in the proposal can be 
applied to other locations/projects and possibly serve as a model for 
other locations.

B. Review Standards

    1. All applications for grants should be submitted to the FHWA 
Division Office by the State DOT by the date specified in this notice.
    2. State DOTs should ensure that the project proposal is compatible 
with or documented on their planning documents (TIP and STIP). They 
should also validate, to the extent the can, any analytic data.
    3. Each application will be reviewed for conformance with the 
provisions in this notice.
    4. Applications lacking any of the mandatory elements or arriving 
after the deadline for submission will not be considered. To assure 
full consideration, proposals should not exceed 20 pages in length.
    5. Applicants may be contacted for additional information or 
clarification.
    6. Applications complying with the requirements outlined in this 
notice will be evaluated competitively by a panel selected by the 
Director, Office of Freight Management and Operations, and will be 
scored as described in the scoring criteria.
    7. If the FHWA determines that the project is technically or 
financially unfeasible, FHWA will notify the applicant, in writing.
    8. The FHWA reserves the right to partially fund or request 
modification of projects.
    9. All information described in the submitter's proposal elements 
should be quantifiable and sourced.
    10. Submitter should describe a measurement plan to determine 
whether or not the project will achieve its intended results. The 
measurement plan should continue for 3 years beyond the date of the 
project. After a 3-year period, a final report quantifying the results 
of the project should be submitted to the FHWA.
    11. The proposed projects should not compete with local businesses 
or commercial enterprises.

VI. Selection Process

    The grant applications will be ranked by final score. The FHWA will 
select applications based on those rankings, subject to the 
availability of funds.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    The FHWA recognizes that each funded project is unique, and 
therefore may attach conditions to different projects' award documents. 
The FHWA will send an award letter with a grant agreement that contains 
all the terms and conditions for the grant. These successful applicants 
must execute and return the grant agreement, accompanied by any 
additional items required by the grant agreement.

B. Performance Reporting and Measurement

    Failure to provide the measurement plan will be considered during 
the past-performance element of future grant applications.

    Authority: Section 1305, Pub. L. 109-59; 119 Stat. 1214; Aug. 
10, 2005.

    Issued on: November 8, 2007.
J. Richard Capka,
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-22432 Filed 11-15-07; 8:45 am]
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