[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 125 (Thursday, June 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38707-38708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15921]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2012-0063]


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: 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.

DATES: Please submit comments by August 27, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID 2012-
0063 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://

[[Page 38708]]

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 Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James A. Cheatham, 
[email protected], 202-366-6221, Office of Planning, Environment, 
and Realty, 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: Assessment of Transportation Planning Agency Needs, 
Capabilities, and Capacity.
    Background: FHWA will collect information on the current state of 
the practice, data, methods, and systems used by state, metropolitan, 
regional, local, and tribal transportation planning entities to support 
their required planning process in accordance with Title 23 United 
States Code 134 and 135. This includes, but is not limited to, 
information to support transportation research, capacity building, data 
collection, planning, travel modeling, and performance management. This 
also includes information about how data is shared between planning 
agencies and how it is processed and used in the planning context. 
Questionnaires will be sent to State DOT headquarters and districts, 
Metropolitan Planning, Organizations, Regional Planning Organizations, 
and Tribal Governments. FHWA anticipates that one representative from 
each agency will take approximately 30 minutes to complete up to 4 
questionnaires each year. The questionnaires will be administered via 
the Internet and invitations to participate in the questionnaire will 
be distributed via email.
    This information, once compiled, will allow the FHWA to better 
understand the existing capabilities that agencies across the country 
have in support of the planning process and the readiness they possess 
to handle new and ongoing challenges. As a result of the collected 
information, FHWA will focus its efforts and resources on providing 
targeted and meaningful support for planning and readiness nationwide. 
Additionally, FHWA will ensure that excellent planning practices are 
identified will be shared broadly across the country.
    Respondents: Respondents are representatives of State DOT 
headquarters and districts, Metropolitan Planning, Organizations, 
Regional Planning Organizations, and Tribal Governments.
    Respondents: 950 respondents annually.
    Frequency: 4 per year for 3 years.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Up to 1,900 hours annually.
    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 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 computer 
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 22, 2012.
Steven Smith,
Chief, Information Technology Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-15921 Filed 6-27-12; 8:45 am]
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