[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58873-58874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15921]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2024-0051]


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 has forwarded the information collection request 
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
to approve a new information collection. We are required to publish 
this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by August 19, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
0051 by any of the following methods:
    Website: 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 Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aimee Zhang, (202) 366-6537, Office of 
Safety Technologies, Federal Highway Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We published a Federal Register Notice with 
a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on March 
22, 2024, at [89 FR 20529]. The comments and FHWA's responses are 
below:
    Four comments were received, as shown below.
    Comment received from Louisiana Department of Transportation and 
Development (LADOTD) on April 26, 2024. LADOTD requests that FHWA 
continue the service of issuance of Federal-aid eligibility letters. 
LADOTD expressed that it does not have staff and experience to 
determine MASH crashworthiness for roadside safety hardware and relies 
on the FHWA letters in order to decide of crashworthiness. LADOTD 
states that if states were to be solely responsible for determination 
of crashworthiness, it would be ideal to implement an online forum/
message-board for the states to share data regarding crash tests 
reports, so that state subject matter experts could assist and or 
provide comments/concerns regarding a particular device. FHWA 
acknowledge receiving the comment and will not respond to this comment 
because there is not contact information left.

[[Page 58874]]

    Comment received from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 
on May 2, 2024. VDOT strongly appreciate FHWA's current practice and 
role relating to issuing issuance of Federal-aid eligibility letters 
for roadside safety hardware. VDOT believes the information collection 
is necessary for FHWA to continue the service to states of issuance of 
eligibility letters, and there is no other organization can take over 
the FHWA's role of evaluator of crashworthiness. VDOT does not have 
recommendation in terms of technology improvement to minimize burden of 
data collection. VDOT is willing to attest the usefulness and value of 
the eligibility letters issued by FHWA. FHWA acknowledge receiving the 
comment and will not respond to this comment because there is not 
contact information left.
    Comment received from Glenn Kowalske on May 13, 2024. The comment 
does not apply to this notice. No action from FHWA.
    Comment received from American Traffic Safety Services Association 
(ATSSA), 2024, received May 7, 2024. FHWA--Office of Safety has drafted 
a response letter to ATSSA and will send the response to ATSSA.
    Title: Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility of Safety 
Hardware Devices.
    Background: The FHWA' s longstanding policy is that all roadside 
safety hardware installed on the National Highway System (NHS) be 
crashworthy. To support this policy, the AASHTO/FHWA Joint 
Implementation Agreement for the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 
(MASH) was adopted. This agreement implemented AASHTO MASH as the 
criteria for determining crashworthiness of roadside safety hardware.
    FHWA provides a service to States and industry by reviewing tests 
for roadside hardware, ensuring that they have been tested in 
accordance with MASH criterion, and issuing a federal aid eligibility 
letter for roadside hardware that meet review standards. An eligibility 
letter is not a requirement for roadside safety hardware to be 
determined eligible for Federal funding. Roadside safety hardware is 
eligible for Federal funding if it has been determined to be crash 
worthy by the user agency.
    To issue eligibility letters for roadside safety hardware, the FHWA 
needs to collect and review crash test results and hardware information 
from the submitters.
    Respondents: Approximately 50 submissions are received annually.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Averages 2 hours per 
submission.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 100 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 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: July 16, 2024.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-15921 Filed 7-18-24; 8:45 am]
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