#### § 971.104 Definitions.

*Alternative transportation systems* means modes of transportation other than private vehicles, including methods to improve system performance such as transportation demand management, congestion management, and intelligent transportation systems. These mechanisms help reduce the use of private vehicles and thus, improve overall efficiency of transportation systems and facilities.

*Elements* mean the components of a bridge that are important from a structural, user, or cost standpoint. Examples are decks, joints, bearings, girders, abutments, and piers.

*Federal lands bridge management system (BMS)* means a systematic process used by the Forest Service (FS), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Park Service (NPS) for collecting and analyzing bridge data to make forecasts and recommendations, and that provides the means by which bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement programs and policies may be efficiently and effectively considered.

*Federal lands congestion management system (CMS)* means a systematic process used by the FS, FWS, and NPS for managing congestion that provides information on transportation system performance, and alternative strategies for alleviating congestion and enhancing the mobility of persons and goods to levels that meet Federal, State, and local needs.

*Federal Lands Highway Program (FLHP)* means a federally funded program established in 23 U.S.C. 204 to address transportation needs of Federal and Indian lands.

*Federal lands pavement management system (PMS)* means a systematic process used by the FS, FWS, and NPS that provides information for use in implementing cost-effective pavement reconstruction, rehabilitation, and preventive maintenance programs and policies, and that results in pavement designed to accommodate current and forecasted traffic in a safe, durable, and cost-effective manner.

*Federal lands safety management system (SMS)* means a systematic process used by the FS, FWS, and NPS with the goal of reducing the number and severity of traffic accidents by ensuring that all opportunities to improve roadway safety are identified, considered, implemented, and evaluated as appropriate, during all phases of highway planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance, by providing information for selecting and implementing effective highway safety strategies and projects.

*Forest highway (FH)* means a forest road under the jurisdiction of, and maintained by, a public authority and open to public travel.

*Forest Highway Program* means the public lands highway funds allocated each fiscal year, as is provided in 23 U.S.C. 202, for projects that provide access to and within the National Forest system, as described in 23 U.S.C. 202(b) and 23 U.S.C. 204.

*Forest Highway Program transportation improvement program (FHTIP)* means a staged, multiyear, multimodal program of transportation projects in a State area consistent with the FH transportation plan and developed through the tri-party FH planning processes pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 204, and 23 CFR 660 subpart A.

*Forest Service transportation plan* means the official FH multimodal, transportation plan that is developed through the tri-party FH transportation planning process pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 204.

*Highway safety* means the reduction of traffic accidents on public roads, including reductions in deaths, injuries, and property damage.

*Intelligent transportation system (ITS)* means electronics, communications, or information processing, used singly or in combination, to improve the efficiency and safety of a surface transportation system.

*Life-cycle cost analysis* means an evaluation of costs incurred over the life of a project allowing a comparative analysis between or among various alternatives. Life-cycle cost analysis promotes consideration of total cost, including maintenance and operation expenditures. Comprehensive life-cycle cost analysis includes all economic variables essential to the evaluation including user costs such as delay, safety costs associated with maintenance and rehabilitation projects, agency capital costs, and life-cycle maintenance costs.

*Metropolitan planning area* means the geographic area in which the metropolitan transportation planning process, required by 23 U.S.C. 134 and 49 U.S.C. 5303-5306, must be carried out.

*Metropolitan planning organization (MPO)* means the forum for cooperative transportation decision-making for the metropolitan planning area pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 134 and 49 U.S.C. 5303.

*National Forest System* means all the lands and waters reported by the FS as being part of the National Forest System, including those generally known as National Forests and National Grasslands.

*Operations* means those activities associated with managing, controlling, and regulating highway traffic.

*Secretary* means the Secretary of Transportation.

*Serviceability* means the degree to which a bridge provides satisfactory service from the point of view of its users.

*State* means any one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.

*Transportation facilities* mean roads, streets, bridges, parking areas, transit vehicles, and other related transportation infrastructure.

*Transportation Management Area (TMA)* means an urbanized area with a population over 200,000 (as determined by the latest decennial census) or other area when TMA designation is requested by the Governor and the MPO (or affected local officials). It also must be officially designated by the Administrators of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The TMA designation applies to the entire metropolitan planning area(s).

*Tri-party* means the joint, cooperative, shared partnership among the Federal Lands Highway Division (FLHD), State Department of Transportation (State DOT), and the FS to carry out the FH program.