[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 213 (Thursday, November 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57387-57390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26669]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA 2009-0112]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
Extension of Currently Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for the 
renewal of a currently approved information collection that is 
summarized below

[[Page 57388]]

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice 
in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by January 4, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
FHWA-2009-0112, by any of the following methods:
    Web Site: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except on Federal Holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the National 
Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program (NHCBP), please contact 
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, 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: 
    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 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 has been 
authorized for continuation under the current continuing resolution. 
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, 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Implementation Guidance for the National Historic Covered 
Bridge Preservation Program, August 23, 2000; 65 FR 51401.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 completed, and 
if the bridge will 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 SHPO.

[[Page 57389]]

    As indicated above, the FHWA has developed a template for the 
application. 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/022803a.htm#application. The template is not 
required but rather is provided for convenience of the applicants.

Burden Hours for Information Collection

    Burden hour 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 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 SHPO. A programmatic 
agreement for historic bridges with the SHPO, FHWA and the ACHP may 
substitute; 5 minutes.
    [cir] This item is readily obtained through contact with the SHPO.
     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 
SHPO. 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 SHPO: 5 minutes.
    [cir] This requires providing a list of contacts and involves a 
nominal amount of time.
    Individual Respondent Burden: The total amount of time estimated to 
complete the report is 3\1/2\ hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 105 hours (FHWA estimates 
receiving 30 reports from the State Transportation Departments).

[[Page 57390]]

    Public Comments Invited: 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 
estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that 
burdens could be minimized, including use of electronic technology, 
without reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency 
will summarize and/or include your comments in the request for OMB's 
clearance of this information collection.

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

    Issued on: October 30, 2009.
Judith Kane,
Acting Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. E9-26669 Filed 11-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P