[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 121 (Friday, June 22, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 37735]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15364]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2012-0054]


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

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: 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 published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day 
public comment period on this information collection on March 30, 2012. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by July 23, 2012.

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-2012-0054.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Ferroni, 202-366-9237, Office of 
Natural Environment, Federal Highway Administration, Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Possible Inclusion of Specific Pavement Types in the FHWA 
Traffic Noise Model: Regulatory and Procedural Changes.
    Background: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has been 
actively involved in what today; the highway noise industry refers to 
as ``quieter pavements.'' In 2003, FHWA entered into the Quiet Pavement 
Pilot Program with the Arizona Department of Transportation, co-
sponsored the 2004 International Scan on ``Quieter Pavement Systems in 
Europe,'' and funded several national workshops, trainings, and 
informational outreach pieces on this topic. In 2005, the FHWA began 
funding the ``Pavement Effects Implementation Study'' (PEI) to see how 
more specific pavement types could be incorporated into the FHWA 
Traffic Noise Model (FHWA TNM). The incorporation of specific pavement 
types into TNM would require State Departments of Transportation to use 
these more specific pavement types in TNM and would result in 
additional regulatory and procedural changes.
    The PEI currently is out of funding but an interim report will soon 
be released. Before additional time, effort and funding are put into 
completing the PEI, it is important to conduct a user-needs analysis to 
determine whether our stakeholders, primarily State Departments of 
Transportation, still want us to complete this research, knowing that 
it would result in regulatory and procedural changes. The information 
collected would cover the topics of: (1) Being required to use a more 
specific pavement type(s); (2) Being required to maintain the specific 
pavement type selected; and (3) being required to call a project a Type 
I project if the original pavement is replaced or overlaid with a 
louder pavement.
    Respondents: Approximately 60 entities.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 30 hours.
    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 
the estimated burdens; (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. 
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: June 19, 2012.
Steven Smith,
Chief, Information Technology Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-15364 Filed 6-21-12; 8:45 am]
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