[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82675-82676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23609]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2024-0068]


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 November 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
0068 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: Kenneth Petty, Office of Planning 
(HEPP-1), 202-366-6654, and Brian Gardner, Office of Planning (HEPP-
30), 202-366-6221, Department of Transportation, Federal Highway 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Office 
hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 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 
October 30, 2023 at 88 FR 74227. There were no comments received.
    Title: Application to Participate in the Transportation Access 
Pilot Program.
    Background: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 
requires FHWA to establish the Transportation Access Pilot Program 
(Pub. L. 117-58 sec. 13010). The program's intent is to improve 
transportation planning by measuring the level of access by surface 
transportation modes to important destinations, disaggregating the 
level of access by surface transportation mode by a variety of 
categories (e.g., population or freight commodities), and assessing the 
change in accessibility that would result from transportation 
investments.
    Beginning in 2025, FHWA plans to use an application form and 
follow-up phone conversations to gather information from interested 
participants. Information collected in the application form will be 
used to evaluate applications to participate in the Transportation 
Access Pilot Program. The application will request information 
necessary to evaluate applications and select pilot program 
participants. The application will request that applicants provide 
information about: (1) previous experience of the eligible entity 
measuring transportation access or other performance management 
experience, if applicable; (2) the types of important destinations to 
which the eligible entity intends to measure access; (3) the types of 
data disaggregation the eligible entity intends to pursue; (4) a 
general description of the methodology the eligible entity intends to 
apply; (5) if the applicant does not intend the pilot program to apply 
to the full area under the jurisdiction of the applicant, a description 
of the geographic area in which the applicant intends the pilot program 
to apply; and (6) additional information required to evaluate and make 
selections for participation in the Transportation Access Pilot 
Program.
    FHWA plans to require applications be submitted in electronic 
format (Adobe PDF or similar format). FHWA estimates that the 
application will take approximately one hour to complete. The 
application will consist of both multiple-choice and short-answer 
question formats. FHWA may request a follow-up phone conversation to 
address questions in an agency's submitted application form. These 
phone conversations will be approximately 30 minutes in length. This is 
planned as an annual information collection, until such time as the 
program is no longer accepting applications.

[[Page 82676]]

    FHWA increased its estimated burden to the public between the 60-
day Federal Register Notice announcing its intent to seek approval from 
OMB to collect this information, and this application. FHWA doubled its 
estimated burden on the public from 90 minutes per application to 180 
minutes (3 hours) per application. The reason for this adjustment is 
that during this time, FHWA developed the application form and found 
that to gather all information needed to evaluate applications, a 
longer set of application questions was required, and that more time 
would likely be needed to discuss applications in follow-up interviews. 
This increased burden estimate is reflected in the Supporting Statement 
and this notice.
    Respondents: FHWA estimates the maximum response to be up to 50 
percent of the total universe of potential pilot program participants, 
which includes 52 State DOTs equivalents, and approximately 420 MPOs 
and 10 RTPOs. Thus, the estimated maximum response expected per 
application round is up to 241 individuals.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 180 minutes 
per respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Total estimated average annual 
burden is 723 hours, and 2,169 hours over 3 years.
    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: October 8, 2024.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-23609 Filed 10-10-24; 8:45 am]
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