69178 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 29, 2006 / Notices 

DATES: Please submit comments by 

December 29, 2006. 

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–2006–26431. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Eric Weaver, (202) 493–3153, LongTerm Planning Program (HRDI–13), 

Office of Research Development and 

Technology, Federal Highway 

Administration, Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center, 6300 

Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101. 

Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Mechanistic Empirical 

Pavement Design National Status 

Survey. 

Background: In June 2004, the 

National Cooperative Highway Research 

Program (NCHRP) released the 

Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design 

Guide (MEPDG) for New and 

Rehabilitated Pavement Structures. 

FHWA organized a Design Guide 

Implementation Team (DGIT) to 

immediately begin the process of 

informing, educating, and assisting 

FHWA field offices, State Highway 

Agencies, Industry, and others about the 

new design guide. FHWA considers 

implementation of mechanisticempirical pavement design a critical 

element in improving the National 

Highway System. It ties directly into 

objectives listed in the Safe, 

Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 

Users, (SAFETEA-LU), Section 1503, 

which supports longer life pavements. 

Consequently, the impacts of long-life 

pavements include congestion 

mitigation and improved work zone 

safety. 

The MEPDG represents a significant 

advancement in pavement design and 

includes the best available engineering 

theory and mechanistic principles to 

determine both the structural response 

and to predict performance over the 

lifetime of a pavement structure. 

The mechanistic theory is balanced 

with over 525 empirical observations 

from the Long Term Pavement 

Performance database that represents a 

wide range of both material and climatic 

conditions. The use of both the 

mechanistic theory and a wide range of 

empirical observations make the 

MEPDG a robust design procedure. 

The MEPDG can be considered a 40- 

year step forward in pavement design. 

The MEPDG is a more theoretical and 

mathematical based procedure, strongly 

bolstered by fundamental engineering 

principles and is readily useful to 

academia, researchers, and practitioners 

of pavement analysis and design. 

The MEPDG provides significant 

potential benefits over the current 

AASHTO Guide in achieving costeffective pavement designs and 

rehabilitation strategies. Most 

importantly, its user-oriented 

computational software implements an 

integrated analysis approach for 

predicting pavement condition over 

time. This analysis considers the 

complex interaction between traffic 

loadings, climatic conditions, materials 

and pavement structure. 

Implementation of the MEPDG will 

require a significant amount of time, 

resources, and funding. However, the 

adoption of the guide has the potential 

for providing a substantial long-term 

savings based on the shear magnitude of 

annual expenditures for highway 

pavements. In 2003, over 79 billion 

dollars was used for highway purposes; 

based on data published in Highway 

Statistics 2003 from the Office of 

Highway Policy Information. Any 

improvement in the designs will have a 

significant implication in reducing costs 

to maintain these pavements and more 

than offset the resources required to 

implement the new pavement design 

guide. 

The DGIT has put forth a strategic 

plan of action to aid the transportation 

community in deploying this new 

technology. The DGIT is an integral part 

of an extensive outreach campaign 

including Enhancement, Education, and 

Implementation strategies to promote 

the MEPDG. These activities include 

onsite and web based workshops that 

have already educated more than 1,200 

engineers across the USA in 21 States 

and around the globe in Canada, 

Europe, China, India, Mexico, and 

Central and South America. 

FHWA encourages States to evaluate 

the utility that the MEPDG offers and to 

carefully implement the guidelines and 

recommendations. The long-term goal of 

the AASHTO Joint Technical Committee 

on Pavements is to adopt the guide as 

an AASHTOWare product to replace the 

AASHTO 1993 design guide. 

Moving towards a mechanisticempirical design process represents a 

huge paradigm shift for the majority of 

states and will require a significant 

amount of education, training, new 

equipment, new testing requirements 

and data collection. Most importantly it 

will require better communication and 

coordination between the designers, 

materials engineers, traffic engineers, 

and consultants to collect and maintain 

the data needed to optimize the 

pavement designs and continue to 

validate and calibrate the models in the 

Guide. The DGIT is focused on being a 

leader in this effort by providing 

Education, Enhancement, and 

Implementation activities to the 

Transportation Community. 

Burden Hours for Information 

Collection 

Frequency: Bi-Annual. 

Respondents: The Pavement Design 

Engineer in each State DOT, Puerto 

Rico, and the District of Columbia; for 

a total of 52. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

response: Assuming 1 respondent per 

State plus Puerto Rico and the District 

of Columbia and 1 hr to respond to the 

survey the total will be approximately 

52 burden hours. FHWA is seeking a 3- 

year approval and plans on conducting 

the survey in the first and third year of 

the approval time period. The estimated 

average annual burden is 35 hours. 

Electronic Access: Internet users may 

access all comments received by the 

U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401, by 

using the universal resource locator 

(URL): http://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours 

each day, 365 days each year. Please 

follow the instructions online for more 

information and help. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued on: November 22, 2006. 

James R. Kabel, 

Chief, Management Programs and Analysis 

Division. 

[FR Doc. E6–20208 Filed 11–28–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Osage, Maries, and Phelps Counties, 

MO 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 29, 2006 / Notices 69179 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this 

notice to advise the public that an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

will be prepared for proposed 

improvements along U.S. 63 between 

the U.S. 63 and U.S. 50 interchange in 

Osage County to a point in Phelps 

County, south of the Maries County 

Line. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Mary Ridgeway, Environmental Review 

Engineer, FHWA Division Office, 3220 

West Edgewood, Suite H, Jefferson City, 

MO 65109, Telephone: (573) 638–2620 

or Mr. Dave Nichols, Director of Project 

Development, Missouri Department of 

Transportation, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson 

City, MO 65102, Telephone: (573) 751–

4586. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with the 

Missouri Department of Transportation 

(MoDOT), will prepare an EIS for a 

proposal for improvements along U.S. 

63 between the U.S. 63 and U.S. 50 

interchange in Osage County to a point 

in Phelps County, south of the Maries 

County line. A location study will run 

concurrently with the preparation of the 

EIS and will provide definitive 

reasonable alternatives for evaluation in 

the EIS. The proposed action will 

accomplish several goals: (1) Improve 

safety, (2) decrease congestion, and (3) 

support community regional 

development. 

The proposed project will include 

improvements to be located within a 

study area defined by existing 

improvements just south of the U.S. 63 

and U.S. 50 interchange on the north in 

Osage County and existing improved 

roadway facility in Phelps County, 

south of the Maries County line. The 

east and west boundaries will extend 

approximately 1 to 2 miles on either 

side of existing U.S. 63. The study area 

is approximately 1 to 2 miles on either 

side of existing U.S. 63. The study area 

is approximately 50 miles in length and 

2 miles in width. Known potential 

impacts include residential and/or 

commercial relocations and access 

changes. A U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers Section 404 permit and a 

floodplain development permit from the 

State Emergency Management Agency 

may be required. 

Alternatives under consideration 

included (1) No build, (2) build 

alternatives, (3) transportation system 

management options. 

To date, substantial preliminary 

coordination has occurred with local 

officials. As part of the scoping process, 

an interagency coordination meeting 

will be held with all appropriate federal, 

state, and local agencies. In addition, 

public information meetings and further 

meetings with public officials will be 

held to solicit public and agency input 

on the reasonable range of alternatives. 

A location public hearing will be held 

to present the findings of the Draft EIS. 

Public notice will be given announcing 

the time and place of all public 

meetings and the public hearing. The 

Draft EIS will be available for public 

and agency review and comment prior 

to the public hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

related to this proposed action are 

addressed and all significant issues are 

identified, comments and suggestions 

are invited from all interested parties. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and the EIS should be 

directed to the FHWA or MoDOT at the 

addresses previously provided. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning 

and Construction. The regulations 

implementing Executive Order 12372 

regarding intergovernmental consultation on 

Federal programs and activities apply to this 

program.) 

Issued on: November 20, 2006. 

Mary Ridgeway, 

Environmental Review Engineer, Jefferson 

City. 

[FR Doc. 06–9449 Filed 11–28–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–27–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2006–26274] 

Medical Review Board Meeting 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA). 

ACTION: Notice of Meeting. 

SUMMARY: FMCSA announces the next 

public meeting of its Medical Review 

Board (MRB). The MRB members will 

continue deliberations about current 

FMCSA medical standards, as well as 

consider recommendations for new 

science-based standards and guidelines 

to ensure that the physical condition of 

drivers is adequate to enable them to 

safely operate commercial motor 

vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. 

In accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the 

meeting is open to the public. 

DATES: The MRB meeting will be held 

from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on January 10, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place 

at the U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, 

SW., Nassif Building, Room 2230, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. The 

public must enter through the 

Southwest Visitor Entrance and comply 

with building security procedures, 

including provision of appropriate 

identification prior to being 

accompanied by a Federal employee to 

the meeting rooms. You may submit 

comments identified by DOT Docket 

Management System (DMS) Docket 

Number FMCSA–2006–26274 using any 

of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://dmses.dot.gov/ 

submit. Follow the instructions for 

submitting comments on the DOT 

electronic docket site. 

• Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–

0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

Instructions: All submissions must 

include the Agency name and docket 

number for this Notice. Note that all 

comments received will be posted 

without change to http://dms.dot.gov 

including any personal information 

provided. Please see the Privacy Act 

heading for further information. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received, go to http:// 

dms.dot.gov at any time or Room PL–

401 on the plaza level of the Nassif 

Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The DMS is available 

24 hours each day, 365 days each year. 

If you want acknowledgment that we 

received your comments, please include 

a self-addressed, stamped envelope or 

postcard or print the acknowledgement 

page that appears after submitting 

comments on-line. 

Privacy Act: Anyone may search the 

electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comment (or of the person signing the 

comment, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

You may review the U.S. Department of 

Transportation’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 


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