45176 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices 

1MMM leases the underlying real property from 

Gerrard Investments, LLC, but owns the Lines and 

the ready-mix plant. R&R will obtain from MMM an 

assignment or sublease of the underlying lease and 

ownership of the Lines, the ready-mix plant, and 

any improvements on the site. 

6,412-foot loop track, and 1,315 feet of 

loading and unloading tracks.1 R&R 

states that, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 10906, 

it currently has the right to operate and 

perform switching and other types of 

operations on the Lines. MMM is 

currently the only company located at 

the facility. R&R seeks to acquire the 

MMM Lines and to operate them as 

common carrier track, as well to 

continue its § 10906 services. R&R states 

that the proposed acquisition and 

operation of the Lines do not involve a 

provision or agreement that would limit 

future interchange with a third-party 

connecting carrier. 

R&R certifies that the proposed 

transaction will not result in R&R 

becoming a Class II or Class I rail carrier 

and that the projected annual revenues 

of R&R will not exceed $5 million. 

The transaction may be consummated 

on or after September 19, 2018, the 

effective date of the exemption (30 days 

after the verified notice was filed). 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed no later than September 12, 

2018 (at least seven days before the 

exemption becomes effective). 

An original and 10 copies of all 

pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD 

36124, must be filed with the Surface 

Transportation Board, 395 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20423–0001. In 

addition, one copy of each pleading 

must be served on William A. Mullins, 

Baker & Miller PLLC, 2401 Pennsylvania 

Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 

20037. 

According to R&R, this action is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under 49 CFR 

1105.6(c) and from historic reporting 

requirements under 49 CFR 1105.8(b). 

Board decisions and notices are 

available on our website at www.stb.gov. 

Decided: August 30, 2018. 

By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting 

Director, Office of Proceedings. 

Aretha Laws-Byrum, 

Clearance Clerk. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19200 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4915–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 

Department of Transportation’s 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

for Fiscal Year 2018 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), U.S. 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

funding opportunity and requests grant 

applications for FHWA’s Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program. Division L of 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2018, appropriated $225 million to be 

awarded by DOT for a competitive 

highway bridge program. Eligible 

applicants are States that have a 

population density of less than 100 

individuals per square mile. The funds 

must be used for highway bridge 

replacement and rehabilitation projects 

on public roads that demonstrate cost 

savings by bundling multiple highway 

bridge projects. The FHWA will 

distribute these funds as described in 

this notice on a competitive basis in a 

manner consistent with the selection 

criteria. 

DATES: This is a one-time opportunity 

for funding. The deadline for 

consideration is December 4, 2018 at 

11:59 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Applications must be 

submitted through Grants.gov at https:// 

www.grants.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

staff via email at CHBPgrant@dot.gov. 

Douglas A. Blades, Office of Bridges & 

Structures, FHWA, Office of 

Infrastructure, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 

SE, Room E75–3203, Washington, DC 

20590, telephone: (202) 366–4622 or 

email: Douglas.Blades@dot.gov; Semme 

Yilma, Office of Bridges & Structures, 

FHWA, Office of Infrastructure, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Room E75– 

3203, Washington, DC 20590, telephone: 

(202) 366–6712 or email: 

Semme.Yilma@dot.gov. 

For legal questions, please contact Ms. 

Alla C. Shaw, Office of the Chief 

Counsel, at (202) 366–1042; by email at 

Alla.Shaw@dot.gov; or by mail at 

Federal Highway Administration, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 

20590. 

Office hours for FHWA are from 8:30 

a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

In addition, FHWA will post 

information about the Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program on its website 

at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/ 

chbp.cfm. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each 

section of this notice contains 

information and instructions relevant to 

the application process for program 

grants. The applicant should read this 

notice in its entirety to submit eligible 

and competitive applications. 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

1. Amount Available 

2. Availability of Funds 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

2. Cost Sharing and Matching 

3. Other 

D. Application and Submission Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

3. Selection Criteria 

4. Assessment of Project Risks 

5. Submission Dates 

6. Intergovernmental Review 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

H. Other Information 

I. Program Description 

Division L of the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115– 

141, March 23, 2018) (‘‘FY 2018 

Appropriations Act’’), appropriated 

$225 million to be awarded by DOT for 

a Competitive Highway Bridge Program. 

Eligible applicants are States that have 

a population density of less than 100 

individuals per square mile. The funds 

must be used for highway bridge 

replacement and rehabilitation projects 

on any public roads that demonstrate 

cost savings by bundling multiple 

highway bridge projects. The 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

provides an opportunity to address 

significant challenges across the Nation 

for improving bridges that serve 

America. 

II. Federal Award Information 

A. Amount Available—The FY 2018 

Appropriations Act appropriated the 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program as 

a grant program at $225 million for 

fiscal year (FY) 2018. 

B. Availability of Funds—The funds 

provided for this program under the FY 

2018 Appropriations Act are available 

for obligation through September 30, 

2021, and expire after September 30, 

2026. 

III. Eligibility Information 

To be selected for a Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program grant, an 

applicant must be an Eligible Applicant 


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and the projects must be Eligible 

Projects. 

A. Eligible Applicants. Eligible 

applicants for Competitive Highway 

Bridge Program grants are State 

departments of transportation (State 

DOTs) from States that have a 

population density of less than 100 

individuals per square mile based on 

the 2010 decennial census. The 

calculation of individuals per square 

mile is based on the land area, which is 

consistent with the practice of the U.S. 

Census Bureau. Per this requirement, 

eligible applicants are the State DOTs in 

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, 

Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, 

Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, 

Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New 

Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, 

Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, 

Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

B. Cost Sharing and Matching. 

1. The standard Federal share of the 

cost of the project is up to 80 percent. 

For States on the sliding scale, the 

Federal share of the cost of the project 

is up to 95 percent in accordance with 

23 U.S.C. 120(b). States on the sliding 

scale can find the maximum Federal 

share for a project in FHWA Notice N 

4540.12 (Sliding Scale Rates In Public 

Land States—Rates Effective March 17, 

1992). The notice is located at: (https:// 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/ 

notices/n4540-12.cfm). 

2. The standard non-Federal share is 

not less than 20 percent of the cost of 

the project. For States on the sliding 

scale, the non-Federal share is not less 

than 5 percent of the cost of the project 

in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 120(b). 

Non-Federal sources of income include 

State funds originating from programs 

funded by State revenue or local 

revenue funding programs, or private 

funds. The FHWA will not consider 

previously incurred costs or previously 

expended or encumbered funds towards 

the matching requirements for any 

project. 

C. Other. 

1. Eligible Projects. Eligible projects 

for a Competitive Highway Bridge 

Program grant are projects that meet all 

of the following eligibility criteria: 

a. That demonstrate cost savings by 

bundling at least two highway bridge 

projects into a single contract. Bridge 

bundling is defined in 23 U.S.C. 144(j) 

as two or more similar bridge projects 

that are eligible projects under Sections 

119 or 133; included as a bundled 

project in a transportation improvement 

program (TIP) under Section 134(j) or a 

statewide transportation improvement 

program (STIP) under Section 135, as 

applicable; and awarded to a single 

contractor or consultant pursuant to a 

contract for engineering and design or 

construction between the contractor and 

an eligible entity; and 

b. That are for replacement and/or 

rehabilitation of highway bridges and 

are located on public roads. ‘‘Public 

road’’ is defined in 23 U.S.C. 101(a)(22) 

as any road or street under the 

jurisdiction of and maintained by a 

public authority and open to public 

travel. ‘‘Highway’’ is defined in 23 

U.S.C. 101(a)(11) as a road, street, and 

parkway; a right-of-way, bridge, 

railroad-highway crossing, tunnel, 

drainage structure, including public 

roads on dams, sign, guardrail, and 

protective structure, in connection with 

a highway; and a portion of any 

interstate or international bridge or 

tunnel and the approaches thereto, the 

cost of which is assumed by a State 

transportation department, including 

such facilities as may be required by the 

United States Customs and Immigration 

Services in connection with the 

operation of an international bridge or 

tunnel. ‘‘Bridge’’ is defined in 23 CFR 

650.305 as a structure including 

supports erected over a depression or an 

obstruction, such as water, highway, or 

railway, and having a track or 

passageway for carrying traffic or other 

moving loads, and having an opening 

measuring along the center of the 

roadway of more than 20 feet between 

undercopings of abutments or spring 

lines of arches, or extreme ends of 

openings for multiple boxes; it may also 

include multiple pipe culverts, where 

the clear distance between openings is 

less than half of the smaller contiguous 

opening. ‘‘Replacement’’ is defined in 

23 CFR 650.405 as total replacement of 

a bridge with a new facility constructed 

in the same general traffic corridor. A 

nominal amount of approach work, 

sufficient to connect the new facility to 

the existing roadway or to return the 

gradeline to an attainable touchdown 

point in accordance with good design 

practice is also eligible. The 

replacement structure must meet the 

current geometric, construction and 

structural standards required for the 

types and volume of projected traffic on 

the facility over its design life. 

‘‘Rehabilitation’’ is defined in 23 CFR 

650.405 as the project requirements 

necessary to perform the major work 

required to restore the structural 

integrity of a bridge as well as the work 

necessary to correct major safety defects 

except as noted in 23 CFR 650.405(c) 

under ineligible work. Examples of 

bridge rehabilitation include, but are not 

limited to: Partial or complete deck 

replacement, superstructure 

replacement, and substructure/culvert 

strengthening or partial/full 

replacement. Incidental widening is 

often associated with some of these 

activities. 

2. Application Limit. Each eligible 

applicant may submit no more than 

three applications. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Address—Applications must be 

submitted to Grants.gov at http://

www.grants.gov. 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission—The application must 

include the following: 

1. Standard Form 424 (Application for 

Federal Assistance); 

2. Standard Form 424C (Budget 

Information for Construction Programs); 

3. A cover page, including the 

following chart: 

Project Name: 

State Priority Ranking (maximum 

of 3) ........................................... # of # 

Previously Incurred Project Eligible Costs ................................... $ 

Future Eligible Project Costs ........ $ 

Total Project Cost ......................... $ 

Program Grant Request Amount .. $ 

Federal (DOT) Funding including 

Program Funds Requested ....... $ 

4. A project narrative—The project 

narrative should include the 

information necessary for FHWA to 

determine that the project satisfies the 

eligibility criteria described in Section C 

above and to assess how the application 

addresses the selection criteria specified 

in Section E. The FHWA recommends 

that the project narrative adhere to the 

following basic guidelines to clearly 

address the program requirements and 

make critical information readily 

apparent: 

a. Project Description—The first 

section of the application should 

provide a concise description of the 

project, the transportation challenges it 

is expected to address, and how it will 

address those challenges. The 

description should include a list of the 

bridges in the bundling project and the 

type of work planned for each bridge. 

This list should include relevant 

National Bridge Inventory data, 

including the structure number, 

condition ratings, load posting 

information, functional classification, 

current average daily traffic, current 

average daily truck traffic, and other 

relevant data to support the need for the 

type of work planned. 

b. Project Location—This section of 

the application should provide a 

detailed description of the location of 

the proposed project and geospatial data 

for the project, as well as a map of the 


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project’s location and its connections to 

existing transportation infrastructure. 

c. Project Parties—This section of the 

application should provide information 

about the entities involved in, and their 

respective roles in, supporting the 

project. 

d. Grant Funds, Sources, and Uses of 

Project Funds—This section of the 

application should describe the project’s 

budget. At a minimum, it should 

include: 

i. Project costs. 

ii. Funding—Document all funds to be 

used for eligible construction costs and 

the source and amount of those funds, 

including past or pending Federal 

funding requests for this project. 

Include the size, nature, and source of 

the required match for those funds, if 

applicable. Demonstrate that the 

requested Competitive Highway Bridge 

Program funds do not exceed the 

appropriate Federal share of future 

eligible project costs. For non-Federal 

funds to be used for eligible project 

costs, documentation of the funding 

commitments should be referenced and 

included with the application. 

iii. Budget—Provide a detailed project 

budget showing how the Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program funds will be 

spent. The budget should estimate—by 

dollar amount and percentage of cost— 

the cost of construction work for each 

project component. 

e. Include a table of contents, maps, 

and graphics, as appropriate, to make 

the project narrative and supporting 

information easier to review. 

f. The FHWA recommends that the 

project narrative be prepared with 

standard formatting preferences (i.e., a 

single-spaced document, using a 

standard 12-point font, such as Times 

New Roman, with 1-inch margins). 

g. Provide website links to supporting 

documentation rather than copies of 

these supporting materials. If supporting 

documents are submitted, clearly 

identify the relevant portion of the 

project narrative that each document 

supports. 

h. The FHWA recommends using 

appropriately descriptive names (e.g., 

‘‘Project Narrative,’’ ‘‘Maps,’’ 

‘‘Memoranda of Understanding and 

Letters of Support,’’ etc.) for all 

attachments. 

C. Selection Criteria—This section of 

the application should demonstrate how 

the project aligns with the selection 

criteria described below and in Section 

E of this notice. The FHWA encourages 

each applicant to either address each 

criterion or expressly state that the 

project does not address the criterion. 

Applicants are not required to follow a 

specific format, but the outline 

suggested below, which addresses each 

selection criterion separately, promotes 

a clear discussion that assists project 

evaluators. The applicant should 

address each selection criterion in 

appropriate sections. Guidance 

describing how the FHWA will evaluate 

a project against the selection criteria is 

in Section E of this notice. To the extent 

practicable, please provide data and 

evidence of project criteria in a form 

that is verifiable or publicly available. 

The FHWA may ask any applicant to 

supplement data in its application, but 

expects applications to be complete 

upon submission. 

1. Selection Criteria. 

a. Innovation. 

This section of the application should 

describe any innovative technologies, 

strategies, or financing approaches used 

to improve bridge conditions, restore 

bridge capacity and/or add bridge 

capacity, and expedite project delivery, 

and the anticipated benefits of using 

those strategies, including those 

corresponding to three key categories: (i) 

Innovative Technologies, (ii) Innovative 

Project Delivery, or (iii) Innovative 

Financing. 

i. Innovative Technologies—If an 

applicant is proposing to adopt 

innovative bridge design, material or 

construction technology, or financing 

approaches the applications should 

demonstrate the applicant’s capacity to 

implement those innovations, the 

applicant’s understanding of whether 

the innovations will require 

extraordinary permitting, approvals, or 

other procedural actions, and the effects 

of those innovations on the project 

delivery timeline. 

ii. Innovative Project Delivery—If an 

applicant plans to use innovative 

approaches to project delivery, 

applicants should describe those project 

delivery methods and how they are 

expected to improve the efficiency of 

the project development or expedite 

project delivery. 

iii. Innovative Financing—If an 

applicant plans to incorporate 

innovative funding or financing, the 

applicant should describe the funding 

or financing approach, including a 

description of all activities undertaken 

to pursue private funding or financing 

for the project and the outcomes of 

those activities. 

b. Support for Economic Vitality. 

This section of the application should 

describe the anticipated outcomes of the 

project that support economic vitality. 

The applicant should summarize the 

conclusions of the project’s benefit-cost 

analysis (described in section D.3.2), 

including estimates of the project’s 

benefit-cost ratio and net benefits. The 

applicant should also describe other 

data-supported benefits that are not 

included in the benefit-cost analysis. 

The benefit-cost analysis itself should 

be provided as an appendix to the 

project narrative. 

c. Life-Cycle Costs and State of Good 

Repair. 

This section of the application should 

include information that is sufficient for 

FHWA to evaluate how the project 

addresses this criterion, including: 

i. A description of the condition of the 

bridges to be replaced or rehabilitated 

with Competitive Highway Bridge 

Program grant funds. Applicants should 

provide technical data about the 

existing bridge condition—preference 

will be given to bridges in poor 

condition or that are load restricted. 

‘‘Poor condition’’ is defined in 23 CFR 

490.409(b)(3) as having a rating of 4 or 

less for items 58-Deck, 59- 

Superstructure, 60-Substructure, or 62- 

Culvert based on the Recording and 

Coding Guide for the Structure 

Inventory and Appraisal of the Nation’s 

Bridges and as reported to the National 

Bridge Inventory (NBI). Load restricted 

bridges have a Recording and Coding 

Guide for the Structure Inventory and 

Appraisal of the Nation’s Bridges item 

41=P, E, or D as reported to the NBI. 

ii. A description of the anticipated 

cost-savings of bundling bridge projects. 

Estimated cost to replace or rehabilitate 

each bridge as an individual project 

should be described, along with the 

total amount of all the projects, and 

compared with the cost of bundling the 

bridge projects into one project. 

d. Project Readiness. 

This section of the application should 

include information that, when 

considered with the project budget 

information presented elsewhere in the 

application, is sufficient for FHWA to 

evaluate whether the project is 

reasonably expected to begin 

construction before the expiration of the 

period of availability of Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program funds, 

(September 30, 2021) and that all 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

funds will be expended by September 

30, 2026. To assist FHWA’s project 

readiness assessment, the applicant 

should provide the information 

requested on project feasibility, project 

schedule, project approvals, and project 

risks, each of which is described in 

greater detail in the following sections. 

i. Project Feasibility. This section of 

the application should demonstrate the 

feasibility of the project with the status 

of the project in the engineering and 

design phases; the basis for the cost 

estimate presented in the application, 

including the identification of 


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contingency levels appropriate to its 

level of design; and any scope, 

schedule, and budget risk-mitigation 

measures. Applicants should describe in 

detail the bridge projects to be bundled 

and constructed. 

ii. Project Schedule. The applicant 

should include a detailed project 

schedule that identifies major project 

milestones. Examples of such 

milestones include: 

I. State and local planning approvals 

(programming on the STIP); 

II. Start and completion of approvals 

under NEPA and other Federal 

environmental requirements; and 

III. Other approvals including: 

1. Permitting (including any required 

U.S. Coast Guard permits or Floodplain 

regulatory compliance); 

2. Design completion; 

3. Approval of plans, specifications, 

and estimates; 

4. Procurement; 

5. State and local approvals; and 

6. Project partnership and 

implementation agreements, including 

agreements with railroads and for 

construction. 

iii. The project schedule should be 

sufficiently detailed to demonstrate that: 

I. All necessary activities will be 

completed to allow Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program funds to be 

obligated sufficiently in advance of the 

statutory deadline (September 30, 2021) 

and any unexpected delays will not put 

the funds at risk of expiring before they 

are obligated; 

II. The project can begin construction 

quickly upon obligation of Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program funds, and the 

grant funds will be spent expeditiously 

once construction starts, with all 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

funds expended by September 30, 2026; 

and 

III. All real property and right-of-way 

acquisition will be completed in a 

timely manner in accordance with 49 

CFR part 24, 23 CFR part 710, and other 

applicable legal requirements or no 

acquisition is necessary. 

iv. Required Approvals. 

I. Environmental Approvals. All 

activities required under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 

demonstrate completion through: 

1. A record of decision, if the NEPA 

class of action is an environmental 

impact statement; 

2. A finding of no significant impact, 

if the NEPA class of action is an 

environmental assessment; or 

3. A determination that the project is 

a categorical exclusion under the lead 

agency’s NEPA policies. 

II. State and local approvals. The 

applicant should demonstrate the 

receipt of State and local approvals on 

which the project depends, such as 

State and local environmental and 

planning approvals, and planning 

approvals and STIP or TIP funding. 

2. Benefit-Cost Analysis. This section 

describes the recommended approach 

for the completion and submission of a 

benefit-cost analysis (BCA) as an 

appendix to the Project Narrative. The 

results of the analysis should be 

summarized in the Project Narrative 

directly, as described in section 3.1.(b). 

Detailed guidance for estimating some 

types of quantitative benefits and costs, 

together with recommended economic 

values for converting them to dollar 

terms and discounting to their present 

values, is available in the Department’s 

guidance for conducting BCAs for 

projects seeking funding under its 

discretionary grant programs (see 

https://www.transportation.gov/officepolicy/transportation-policy/benefitcost-analysis-guidance). 

Applicants should delineate each of 

their project’s expected outcomes in the 

form of a complete BCA to enable 

FHWA to evaluate the project’s costeffectiveness by estimating a benefitcost ratio and calculating the magnitude 

of net benefits and costs for the project. 

In support of each project for which an 

applicant seeks funding, that applicant 

should submit a BCA that quantifies the 

expected benefits of each project against 

a no-build baseline, provides monetary 

estimates of the benefits’ economic 

value, and compares the properlydiscounted present values of these 

benefits to the project’s estimated costs. 

Benefits should be estimated for each 

individual bridge included in the 

bundle. In some cases, projects within a 

bundle may be expected to have 

collective benefits that are larger than 

the sum of the benefits of the individual 

projects included in the bundle. In such 

cases, applicants should clearly explain 

why this would be the case and provide 

any supporting analyses to that effect. 

Costs of the bundled project should be 

allocated to each individual bridge 

included in the bundle to the extent 

possible. 

The primary economic benefits from 

projects eligible for the Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program are likely to 

include both reductions in future bridge 

maintenance costs and reduced user and 

non-user costs associated with work 

zones and detours due to weight 

restriction postings or closures of 

deteriorated bridges. Applicants may 

describe other categories of benefits in 

the BCA that are more difficult to 

quantify and value in economic terms, 

such as improving the reliability of 

travel times or improvements to the 

existing human and natural 

environments (such as increased 

connectivity, improved public health, 

storm water runoff mitigation, and noise 

reduction), while also providing 

numerical estimates of the magnitude 

and timing of each of these additional 

impacts wherever possible. Any benefits 

claimed for the project, both quantified 

and unquantified, should be clearly tied 

to the expected outcomes of the project. 

The BCA should include the full costs 

of developing, constructing, operating, 

and maintaining the proposed project, 

as well as the expected timing or 

schedule for costs in each of these 

categories. The BCA may also consider 

the present discounted value of any 

remaining service life of the asset at the 

end of the analysis period. The costs 

and benefits that are compared in the 

BCA should also cover the same project 

scope. 

The BCA should carefully document 

the assumptions and methodology used 

to produce the analysis, including a 

description of the baseline, the sources 

of data used to project the outcomes of 

the project, and the values of key input 

parameters. Applicants should provide 

all relevant files used for their BCA, 

including any spreadsheet files and 

technical memos describing the analysis 

(whether created in-house or by a 

contractor). The spreadsheets and 

technical memos should present the 

calculations in sufficient detail and 

transparency to allow the analysis to be 

reproduced by FHWA evaluators. 

3. Assessment of Project Risks and 

Mitigation Strategies. Project risks, such 

as procurement delays, environmental 

uncertainties, increases in real estate 

acquisition costs, uncommitted nonFederal match, or lack of legislative 

approval, affect the likelihood of 

successful project start and completion. 

The applicant should identify all 

material risks to the project and the 

strategies that the applicant and any 

project partners have undertaken or will 

undertake in order to mitigate those 

risks. The applicant should assess the 

greatest risks to the project and identify 

how the project parties will mitigate 

those risks. 

2. Unique entity identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM)— 

1. Each applicant must: 

a. Register in SAM before submitting 

its application; 

b. Provide a valid unique entity 

identifier in its application; and 

c. Continue to maintain an active 

SAM registration with current 

information at all times during which it 

has an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by a Federal awarding agency. The 


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FHWA may not make a grant to an 

applicant until the applicant has 

complied with all applicable unique 

entity identifier and SAM requirements 

and, if an applicant has not fully 

complied with the requirements by the 

time FHWA is ready to make a grant, 

FHWA may determine that the 

applicant is not qualified to receive a 

grant and use that determination as a 

basis for making a grant to another 

applicant. 

3. Submission Dates and Timelines— 

1. Deadline—Applications will be 

accepted until 11:59 p.m. on December 

4, 2018. 

2. To submit an application through 

Grants.gov, applicants must: 

a. Obtain a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number; 

b. Register with the SAM at 

www.SAM.gov; 

c. Create a Grants.gov username and 

password; and 

d. Respond to the registration email 

sent to the applicants E-Business Point 

of Contact (POC) from Grants.gov and 

log in at Grants.gov to authorize the 

applicant as the Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR). 

3. Please note that there can be more 

than one AOR for an organization. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit 

applications in advance of the 

application deadline; however, 

applications will not be evaluated, and 

awards will not be made, until after the 

application deadline. 

4. Please note the Grants.gov 

registration process usually takes 2–4 

weeks to complete, and FHWA will not 

consider late applications that are the 

result of failure to register or comply 

with Grants.gov applicant requirements 

in a timely manner. For information and 

instructions on each of these processes, 

please see instructions at http://

www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/ 

applicant-faqs.html. If applicants 

experience difficulties at any point 

during the registration or application 

process, please call the Grants.gov 

Customer Service Support Hotline at 

(800) 518–4726, Monday-Friday from 

7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST. 

5. Consideration of Applications— 

Only applicants who comply with all 

submission deadlines described in this 

notice and electronically submit valid, 

sponsor-approved applications through 

Grants.gov will be eligible for awards. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

make submissions in advance of 

deadlines. 

6. Application Limit—Applications 

will be limited to three per State DOT. 

7. Late Applications—Applications 

received after the initial deadline will 

be considered in subsequent awards 

based on availability of funds, except in 

the case of unforeseen technical 

difficulties that are beyond the 

applicant’s control. The FHWA will 

consider late applications on a case-bycase basis. Applicants are encouraged to 

submit additional information 

documenting the technical difficulties 

experienced, including a screen capture 

of any error messages received. 

4. Intergovernmental Review—The 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program is 

not subject to the Intergovernmental 

Review of Federal Programs. 

B. Application Review Information 

This section specifies the criteria that 

FHWA will use to evaluate and award 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

funds. 

1. Selection Criteria. 

1. Innovation. 

a. Innovative Technologies—The 

FHWA will assess innovative 

approaches to design, materials and 

construction as well as financing of 

highway bridges. When making 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

award decisions, the FHWA will 

consider any innovative design, material 

and/or construction approaches 

proposed by the applicant, particularly 

projects which incorporate innovative 

design solutions, utilize new or 

innovative materials that improve 

bridge durability or use innovative 

construction techniques to accelerate 

project delivery. FHWA will also 

consider innovative approaches to 

project financing. 

b. Innovative Project Delivery—The 

FHWA will consider the extent to which 

the project utilizes innovative practices 

in contracting, congestion management, 

asset management, or long-term 

operations and maintenance. The 

FHWA also seeks projects that employ 

innovative approaches to improve the 

efficiency and effectiveness of the 

environmental permitting and review to 

accelerate project delivery and achieve 

improved outcomes for communities 

and the environment. The FHWA’s 

objective is to achieve timely and 

consistent environmental review and 

permit decisions. Participation in 

innovative project delivery approaches 

will not remove any statutory 

requirements affecting project delivery. 

While Competitive Highway Bridge 

Program award recipients are not 

required to employ innovative 

approaches, the FHWA encourages 

applicants to describe innovative project 

delivery methods for proposed projects. 

c. Innovative Financing—The FHWA 

will assess the extent to which the 

project incorporates innovations in 

transportation funding and finance 

through both traditional and innovative 

means, including by using private sector 

funding or financing and recycled 

revenue from the competitive sale or 

lease of publicly owned or operated 

assets. 

2. Support for Economic Vitality. 

The FHWA will consider the extent to 

which a project would support 

economic vitality. To the extent 

possible, the FHWA will rely on 

quantitative, data-supported analysis to 

assess how well a project addresses this 

criterion, including an assessment of the 

applicant-supplied benefit-cost analysis 

described in section D.3.2. In addition 

to considering the anticipated outcomes 

of the project that align with these 

criteria, the FHWA will consider 

estimates of the project’s benefit-cost 

ratio and net quantifiable benefits. 

3. Life-Cycle Costs and State of Good 

Repair. 

As described in section 3.1.d above, 

the FHWA will consider two areas of 

information under this criterion: 

Bridge Conditions. The FHWA will 

assess the project’s ability to improve 

bridge conditions and load ratings. The 

FHWA will consider the project’s ability 

to move a bridge from poor condition to 

good or fair condition or a project’s 

ability to eliminate load restrictions. 

Cost Savings. The FHWA will assess 

the anticipated cost savings associated 

with the bundling of bridge projects. 

4. Project Readiness. 

The FHWA will assess the readiness 

of the project to proceed to 

authorization for construction and 

timely obligation of the Competitive 

Highway Bridge Program funds before 

September 30, 2021. The FHWA will 

assess the schedule provided in the 

application and ability of the project to 

clear all activities required under NEPA, 

status of the project in planning and 

design, and milestones for project 

bidding and construction. Due to the 

timeframe for awarding grants under the 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program, 

priority will be given to applications 

that propose projects for construction as 

opposed to engineering and design. 

2. Review and Selection Process—The 

FHWA will review all eligible 

applications received by the date noted 

on page 1 of this NOFO. The review and 

selection process will consist of a 

Technical Review and Senior Review. In 

the Technical Review, a team composed 

of technical staff from FHWA will 

review all eligible applications and rank 

projects based on how well the projects 

align with the selection criteria. The 

Senior Review team, composed of senior 

leadership from FHWA, including the 

FHWA Administrator, will determine 

which projects to recommend to the 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices 45181 

Office of the Secretary based on the 

selection criteria. The final funding 

decisions will be made by the Secretary 

of Transportation. 

3. Additional Information—Prior to 

award, each selected applicant will be 

subject to a risk assessment required by 

2 CFR 200.205. The FHWA must review 

and consider any information about the 

applicant that is in the designated 

integrity and performance system 

accessible through SAM, currently the 

Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). 

An applicant may review information in 

FAPIIS and comment on any 

information about itself. The FHWA 

will consider comments by the 

applicant in addition to the other 

information in FAPIIS, in making a 

judgment about the applicant’s integrity, 

business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants. 

VI. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices—The 

FHWA will announce awarded projects 

by posting a list of selected projects at 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/ 

chbp.cfm. Following the announcement, 

FHWA will contact the point of contact 

listed in form SF–42. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements—All awards will be 

administered pursuant to the Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards found in 2 CFR part 

200, as adopted by DOT at 2 CFR 1201. 

In addition, applicable Federal laws, 

rules, and regulations of FHWA will 

apply to the projects that receive 

program funds, including planning 

requirements, agreements, Buy America 

compliance, and other grant program 

requirements. 

3. Reporting—Each recipient of 

program funding must submit the 

Federal Financial Report (SF–425) on 

the financial condition of the project 

and the project’s progress annually, as 

well as an Annual Budget Review and 

Program Plan to monitor the use of 

Federal funds and ensure accountability 

and financial transparency in the 

competitive highway bridge program by 

September 30 of each year. The FHWA 

reserves the right to request additional 

information, if necessary, to better 

understand the status of the project. 

4. Reporting Matters Related to 

Integrity and Performance—If the total 

value of a selected recipient’s currently 

active grants, cooperative agreements, 

and procurement contracts from all 

Federal awarding agencies exceeds 

$10,000,000 for any period of time 

during the period of performance of this 

Federal award, the applicant during that 

period of time must maintain the 

information reported to SAM and 

FAPIIS about civil, criminal, or 

administrative proceedings described in 

paragraph 2 of this award term and 

condition. This is a statutory 

requirement under Section 872 of Public 

Law 110–417, as amended (41 U.S.C. 

2313). As required by Section 3010 of 

Public Law 111–212, all information 

posted in the designated integrity and 

performance system on or after April 15, 

2011, except past performance reviews 

required for Federal procurement 

contracts, will be publicly available. 

5. Federal Awarding Agency 

Contact(s)—For further information 

concerning this notice, please contact 

the Competitive Highway Bridge 

Program staff via email at CHBPgrant@

dot.gov, or call Douglas Blades at 202– 

366–4622. A TDD is available for 

individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing at 202–366–3993. In addition, 

FHWA will post answers to questions 

and requests for clarifications on 

FHWA’s website at https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/chbp.cfm. To 

ensure applicants receive accurate 

information about eligibility or the 

program, the applicant is encouraged to 

contact FHWA directly, rather than 

through intermediaries or third parties, 

with questions. The FHWA staff may 

also conduct briefings on the 

Competitive Highway Bridge Program 

discretionary grants selection and award 

process upon request. 

VIII. Other Information 

1. Protection of Confidential Business 

Information—All information submitted 

as part of, or in support of, any 

application shall use publicly available 

data or data that can be made public and 

methods that are accepted by industry 

practice and standards, to the extent 

possible. If the application includes 

information the applicant considers to 

be a trade secret or confidential 

commercial or financial information, the 

applicant should do the following: 

(1) Note on the front cover that the 

submission ‘‘Contains Confidential 

Business Information (CBI)’’; 

(2) mark each affected page ‘‘CBI’’; 

and 

(3) highlight or otherwise denote the 

CBI portions. 

The FHWA protects such information 

from disclosure to the extent allowed 

under applicable law. In the event 

FHWA receives a Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA) request for the 

information, FHWA will follow DOT 

procedures described in its FOIA 

regulations at 49 CFR 7.17. Only 

information that is ultimately 

determined to be confidential under that 

procedure will be exempt from 

disclosure under the Freedom of 

Information Act. 

Authority: Public Law. 115–141. 

Brandye L. Hendrickson, 

Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19182 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[FHWA Docket No. FHWA–2018–0040] 

Surface Transportation Project 

Delivery Program; Alaska Department 

of Transportation Audit Report 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), U.S. 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice; Request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Moving Ahead for 

Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP– 

21) established the Surface 

Transportation Project Delivery Program 

that allows a State to assume FHWA’s 

environmental responsibilities for 

environmental review, consultation, and 

compliance under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for 

Federal highway projects. When a State 

assumes these Federal responsibilities, 

the State becomes solely responsible 

and liable for the responsibilities it has 

assumed, in lieu of FHWA. This 

program mandates annual audits during 

each of the first 4 years to ensure the 

State’s compliance with program 

requirements. This notice announces 

and solicits comments on the first audit 

report for the Alaska Department of 

Transportation and Public Facilities 

(DOT&PF). 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 5, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand deliver 

comments to Docket Management 

Facility: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590. You may also 

submit comments electronically at 

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

should include the docket number that 

appears in the heading of this 

document. All comments received will 

be available for examination and 

copying at the above address from 9 

a.m. to 5 p.m., e.t., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. Those 

desiring notification of receipt of 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES