[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57987-57988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15614]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration


National Hazardous Materials Route Registry

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department 
of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice; revisions to the listing of designated and restricted 
routes for hazardous materials.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides revisions to the National Hazardous 
Materials Route Registry (NHMRR) reported to FMCSA from April 1, 2023, 
through March 31, 2024. The NHMRR is a listing, as reported by States 
and Tribal governments, of all designated and restricted roads and 
preferred highway routes for transportation of highway route controlled 
quantities of Class 7 radioactive materials (HRCQ/RAM) and non-
radioactive hazardous materials (NRHM).

DATES: Applicable date: July 16, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Melissa Williams, Hazardous 
Materials Division, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, FMCSA, 1200 
New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366-4163, 
[email protected]. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ET, 
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Legal Basis and Background

    Paragraphs (a)(2) and (b) of section 5112 of title 49 United States 
Code (U.S.C.) permit States and Tribal governments to designate and 
limit highway routes over which hazardous materials (HM) may be 
transported, provided the State or Tribal government complies with 
standards prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) 
and meets publication requirements in section 5112(c). To establish 
standards under paragraph (b), the Secretary must consult with the 
States, and, under section 5112(c), coordinate with the States to 
``update and publish periodically'' a list of currently effective HM 
highway routing designations and restrictions. The requirements that 
States and Tribal governments must follow to establish, maintain, or 
enforce routing designations for the transport of placardable 
quantities of NRHM are set forth in 49 CFR part 397, subpart C. Subpart 
D of part 397 sets out the requirements for designating preferred 
routes for HRCQ/RAM shipments as an alternative, or in addition, to 
Interstate System highways. For HRCQ/RAM shipments, Sec.  397.101 
defines a preferred route as an interstate highway for which no 
alternative route is designated by the State; a route specifically 
designated by the State; or both (see Sec.  397.65 for the definitions 
of NRHM and routing designations).
    Under a delegation from the Secretary,\1\ FMCSA has authority to 
implement 49 U.S.C. 5112.
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    \1\ 49 CFR 1.87(d)(2).
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    Currently, Sec.  397.73 establishes public information and 
reporting requirements for NRHM. States or Tribal governments are 
required to furnish information regarding any new or changed routes to 
FMCSA within 60 days after establishment. Under 49 CFR 397.103, a State 
routing designation for HRCQ/RAM routes (preferred routes) as an 
alternative, or in addition, to an Interstate System highway, is 
effective when the authorized routing agency provides FMCSA with 
written notification, FMCSA acknowledges receipt in writing, and the 
route is published in FMCSA's NHMRR. The Office of Management and 
Budget has approved these collections of information under control 
number 2126-0014, Transportation of Hazardous Materials, Highway 
Routing.
    In this notice, FMCSA is merely performing the ministerial function 
of updating and publishing the NHMRR based on input from its State and 
Tribal partners under 49 U.S.C. 5112(c)(1). Accordingly, this notice 
serves only to provide the most recent revisions to the NHMRR; it does 
not establish any new public information and reporting requirements.

Updates to the NHMRR

    FMCSA published the full NHMRR in a Federal Register notice on 
April 29, 2015 (80 FR 23859). Since publication of the 2015 notice, 
FMCSA has published six updates to the NHMRR in Federal Register 
notices on August 8, 2016 (81 FR 52518), August 9, 2018 (83 FR 39500), 
September 24, 2019 (84 FR 50098), June 3, 2020 (84 FR 34284), June 17, 
2021 (86 FR 32306), and May 11, 2022 (87 FR 28859).
    This notice provides revisions to the NHMRR, reported to FMCSA from 
April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024. The revisions to the NHMRR 
listings in this notice supersede and replace corresponding NHMRR 
listings published in the April 29, 2015 notice and corresponding 
revisions to the NHMRR listings published in the August 8, 2016, August 
9, 2018, September 24, 2019, June 3, 2020, June 17, 2021, and May 11, 
2022 notices. Continue to refer to the April 29, 2015 notice for 
additional background on the NHMRR and the August 8, 2016 notice for 
the procedures for State and Tribal government routing agencies to 
update their Route Registry listings and contact information.
    The full current NHMRR for each State is posted on FMCSA's website 
at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hazardous-materials/national-hazardous-materials-route-registry.

Revisions to the NHMRR in This Notice

    In accordance with the requirements of Sec. Sec.  397.73 and 
397.103, the NHMRR is being revised as follows:

               Table 2--Washington--Restricted NRHM Routes
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A new Route Order Designator ``D'' added and assigned an ``0''
 restriction.
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Route Order Key

    Each listing in the NHMRR includes codes to identify each route 
designation and each route restriction reported by the State. 
Designation codes identify the routes along which a driver may or must 
transport specified HM. Among the

[[Page 57988]]

designation codes is one for preferred routes, which apply to the 
transportation of a highway route controlled quantity of Class 7 
(radioactive) material. Restriction codes identify the routes along 
which a driver may not transport specified HM shipments. Table 1 
presents information on each restriction and designation code. Table 2 
presents information on the revisions to the route registry.

                  Table 1--Restriction/Designation Key
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               Restrictions                         Designations
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0--ALL Hazardous Materials................  A--ALL NRHM Hazardous
                                             Materials.
1--Class 1--Explosives....................  B--Class 1--Explosives.
2--Class 2--Gas...........................  I--Poisonous Inhalation
                                             Hazard (PIH).
3--Class 3--Flammable.....................  P--*Preferred Route* Class
                                             7--Radioactive.
4--Class 4--Flammable Solid/Combustible...
5--Class 5--Organic.......................
6--Class 6--Poison........................
7--Class 7--Radioactive...................
8--Class 8--Corrosives....................
9--Class 9--Dangerous (Other).............
i--Poisonous Inhalation Hazard (PIH)......
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Revisions to the National Hazardous Materials Route Registry (March 31, 
2023)

                                   Table 2--Washington--Restricted NRHM Routes
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                                                                                                    Restriction
         Designation date           Route order route           City                County        FMCSA (0-9 and
                                       description                                                 i) QA comment
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9/21/2023........................  Add South 188th St.  Seattle............  King...............               0
                                    between 28th Ave.
                                    S and 16th Ave. S.
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End of Revisions to the National Hazardous Materials Route Registry

Sue Lawless,
Acting Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2024-15614 Filed 7-15-24; 8:45 am]
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