Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 / Notices 47705 

described in the Destination 2025 

Strategic Plan. 

The agency and the National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) use 

the exposure data, both by itself and in 

conjunction with aircraft age, to 

calculate accident rates, which are used 

to compare safety over time and safety 

performance among different aircraft 

types and configurations. 

The agency and the NTSB will use the 

exposure data for public use aircraft to 

calculate accident rates for those 

aircraft. The NTSB is now required to 

investigate accidents involving public 

use aircraft. This is a responsibility 

assigned by Public Law 103–411. 

Respondents: Owners of General 

Aviation Aircraft. 

Frequency: Annual. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Response: 20 minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 

(36,000 × 20/60) = 12,000 hours. 

Issued in Washnigton, DC, on August, 23, 

2021. 

Parasha Vincent Flowers, 

Program Manager, Program Management & 

Development Branch, AVP–220, Office of 

Accident Investigation & Prevention. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18412 Filed 8–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2020–0010] 

Re-Designation of the Primary 

Highway Freight System (PHFS) 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice; request for information 

(RFI). 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is re-designating 

the PHFS to meet the statutory 

requirements of the authorizing law. 

The Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation (FAST) Act designated 

the PHFS and provided for an update to 

the PHFS every 5 years. Beginning five 

years after the date of the enactment of 

the FAST Act, and every 5 years 

thereafter, using the designation factors 

described in FAST Act, the FHWA 

Administrator shall re-designate the 

primary highway freight system. Each 

re-designation may increase the mileage 

on the PHFS by not more than 3 percent 

of the total mileage of the system. The 

current PHFS consists of 41,518 

centerline miles of roadway and is a 

component of the National Highway 

Freight Network (NHFN). The redesignation initiated through this RFI 

may add up to 1,246 miles of additional 

mileage to the current PHFS. State 

Freight Advisory Committees, 

represented by their States, are invited 

to submit comments. Other entities are 

encouraged to engage directly with their 

State Freight Advisory Committee or the 

State department of transportation (State 

DOT). Comments submitted by entities 

other than a State Freight Advisory 

Committee will be considered for 

general input into the process. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 25, 2021. Late 

comments will be considered to the 

extent practicable. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are 

invited to submit comments identified 

by DOT Docket ID FHWA–2020–0010 

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: 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. 

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: 

Questions may be addressed to Birat 

Pandey, birat.pandey@dot.gov, 202– 

366–2842, Office of Freight Management 

& Operations (HOFM–1), Office of 

Operations, FHWA, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 

Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Congress established a National 

Highway Freight Program (NHFP) in 23 

U.S.C. 167 to improve the efficient 

movement of freight on the NHFN and 

support several goals. The NHFP 

required the FHWA Administrator to 

establish a NHFN to strategically direct 

Federal resources and policies toward 

improved performance of the network. 

The definition of the NHFN is 

established under 23 U.S.C. 167(c) and 

consists of four separate highway 

network components: The PHFS; 

Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs); 

Critical Urban Freight Corridors 

(CUFCs); and those portions of the 

Interstate System that are not part of the 

PHFS. The initial designation of the 

PHFS was identified during the 

designation process for the primary 

freight network under section 23 U.S.C. 

167(d), as in effect on the day before the 

date of enactment of the FAST Act. 

The FHWA Administrator is required 

to re-designate the PHFS every 5 years. 

Each re-designation is limited to a 

maximum 3 percent increase in total 

mileage of the system per 23 U.S.C. 

167(d)(2)(B). 

PHFS 

Congress established the PHFS as a 

network of highways intended to reflect 

the most critical highway portions of the 

U.S. freight transportation system, 

determined by measurable and objective 

national data. The network consists of 

41,518 centerline miles, including 

37,436 centerline miles of Interstate and 

4,082 centerline miles of non-Interstate 

roads. Maps and tables exhibiting roads 

currently included in the PHFS of the 

NHFN are available by State here: 

https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/ 

infrastructure/ismt/nhfn_states_list.htm. 

PHFS and Use of NHFP Funds 

Congress established a NHFP in 23 

U.S.C. 167 to improve the efficient 

movement of freight on the NHFN and 

support several goals. Additional details 

on the NHFP are available at: https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/fastact/factsheets/ 

nhfpfs.cfm. A State shall obligate funds 

apportioned to the State under section 

104(b)(5) to improve the movement of 

freight on the NHFN pursuant to 23 

U.S.C. 167. A State with PHFS mileage 

of less than 2 percent of the national 

total PHFS mileage may obligate NHFP 

funds for projects on all portions of the 

NHFN. A State with PHFS mileage 

greater than or equal to 2 percent of the 

national PHFS total may use its NHFP 

funds for projects on the PHFS, CRFCs, 

and CUFCs. 

PHFS and Use of INFRA Grants 

Congress established 23 U.S.C. 117, 

the Nationally Significant Freight and 

Highway Projects program, currently 

known as Infrastructure for Rebuilding 

America (INFRA). This discretionary 

grant program provides Federal 

financial assistance to highway and 

freight projects of national or regional 

significance. Eligibility for INFRA grant 

funding for highway projects is limited 

to those existing or planned roads that 

are or will become part of the NHFN or 

the National Highway System (NHS). 

Additional details on INFRA Grants are 

available at: https:// 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
47706 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 / Notices 

1The Census defined urban areas (UZA) were 

used rather than the adjusted UZAs since these 

were not available at the time of the analysis. 

2The 2011 HPMS database and the current FAF 

database differ in the delineation and exact geolocation of the NHS. This may result in 1–2 percent 

plus or minus variation on the total mileage because 

the mileage is based on the geospatial network and 

actual mileage reported by States may vary due to 

vertical and horizontal curves that are not always 

accurate in the geographic information system 

databases. 

www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/ 

infragrants. 

Progression of PHFS 

Section 1116 of the FAST Act (Pub. L. 

114–94) repealed both the Primary 

Freight Network (PFN) and National 

Freight Network from Moving Ahead for 

Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP– 

21), and directed the FHWA 

Administrator to establish an NHFN to 

strategically direct Federal resources 

and policies toward improved 

performance of highway portions of the 

U.S. freight transportation system. 

The initial creation of the PHFS 

occurred during the designation process 

for the MAP–21 highway-only PFN 

under 23 U.S.C. 167(d). The MAP–21 

limited the highway PFN to not more 

than 27,000 centerline miles of existing 

roadways that are most critical to the 

movement of freight. In addition, MAP– 

21 allowed an additional 3,000 

centerline miles (existing or planned 

roads) critical to the future efficient 

movement of goods on the highway 

PFN. The MAP–21 instructed DOT to 

base the highway-only PFN on an 

inventory of national freight volumes 

conducted by the FHWA Administrator, 

in consultation with stakeholders, 

including system users, transport 

providers, and States. The FHWA 

released a larger ‘‘Comprehensive PFN’’ 

of 41,518 miles for consideration, to 

accompany the designation of the PFN. 

This Comprehensive PFN was used by 

Congress to establish the PHFS, and the 

PFN was sunset. Information on the 

methodology and data used for these 

networks is described in the October 23, 

2015, Federal Register Notice Final 

Designation of the Highway PFN at 80 

FR 64477. 

Methodology Used for the Designation 

of the Highway PFN 

The FHWA developed the following 

methodology for generating a network 

that could include as many of the MAP– 

21 criteria as practicable. The FHWA 

undertook extensive research and 

numerous approaches to better 

understand and model the criteria. This 

research informed the finding that 

compliance with the mileage cap yields 

a network that does not sufficiently 

accommodate the full set of criteria. To 

comply with the mileage cap while still 

accommodating the statutory criteria, 

FHWA developed a methodology that 

prioritized the application of the criteria 

and set thresholds within the data sets. 

The FHWA used the following 

methodology to develop the highwayonly PFN: 

(1) Used the Freight Analysis 

Framework (FAF) and Highway 

Performance Monitoring System 

(HPMS) data sets to generate the top 

20,000 miles of road segments that 

qualified in at least two of the following 

four factors: Value of freight moved by 

highway; tonnage of freight moved by 

highway; Average Annual Daily Truck 

Traffic (AADTT) on principal arterials; 

and percentage of AADTT in the annual 

average daily traffic on principal 

arterials. 

(2) Analyzed the segments identified 

in Step 1 and gaps between segments for 

network connectivity. Created the 

network by connecting segments if the 

gap between segments was equal to or 

less than 440 miles (440 miles being the 

distance a truck could reasonably travel 

in 1 day). Eliminated a segment if it was 

less than one-tenth of the length of the 

nearest qualifying segment on the 

highway-only PFN. 

(3) Identified land ports of entry with 

truck traffic higher than 75,000 trucks 

per year. Connected these land ports of 

entry to the network created in Steps 1 

and 2. 

(4) Identified the NHS Freight 

Intermodal Connectors within urban 

areas with a population of 200,000 or 

more.1 The NHS Freight Intermodal 

Connectors included any connectors 

categorized as connecting to a freight 

rail terminal, port, river terminal, or 

pipeline. In addition, these NHS Freight 

Intermodal Connectors included routes 

to the top 50 airports by landed weight 

of all cargo operations (representing 89 

percent of the landed weight of all cargo 

operations in the United States). 

Connected the NHS Freight Intermodal 

Connectors back to the network created 

in Steps 1 and 2 along the route with the 

highest AADTT using HPMS data. 

(5) Identified road segments within 

urban areas with a population of 

200,000 or more that have an AADTT of 

8,500 trucks/day or more. Connected 

segments to the network established in 

Steps 1 and 2 if they were equal to or 

greater than one-tenth of the length of 

the nearest qualifying segment on the 

highway-only PFN. Removed segments 

not meeting this rule as they were more 

likely to represent discrete local truck 

movement unrelated to the national 

system. 

(6) Analyzed the network to 

determine the relationship to 

population centers, origins and 

destinations, ports, river terminals, 

airports, and rail yards and added minor 

network connectivity adjustments. 

(7) Analyzed the road systems in 

Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico using 

HPMS data. These routes would not 

otherwise qualify under a connected 

network model but play a critical role in 

the movement of products from the 

agriculture and energy sectors, as well 

as international import/export functions 

for their States and urban areas and 

added roads connecting key ports to 

population centers. 

(8) Analyzed the network to 

determine the relationship to energy 

exploration, development, installation, 

or production areas. Since the data 

points for the energy sector are scattered 

around the United States, often in rural 

areas, and because some of the related 

freight may move by barge or other 

maritime vessel, rail, or even pipeline, 

FHWA did not presume a truck freight 

correlation. 

(9) Steps 1 through 8 resulted in a 

network of 41,518 centerline miles, 

including 37,436 centerline miles of 

Interstate and 4,082 centerline miles of 

non-Interstate roads.2 In order to obtain 

the 27,000 centerline miles, FHWA 

identified those connected segments 

with the highest AADTT. These road 

segments represented on the final 

highway-only PFN map comprise 

26,966 miles of centerline roads. 

Criteria for PHFS Re-Designation 

In re-designating the PHFS, to the 

maximum extent practicable the FHWA 

Administrator must use measurable data 

to assess the significance of goods 

movement, including consideration of 

points of origin, destinations, and 

linking components of the United States 

global and domestic supply chains. 23 

U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(C). In re-designating the 

PHFS, the Administrator shall provide 

an opportunity for State freight advisory 

committees, as applicable, to submit 

additional miles for consideration. 23 

U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(D). In re-designating 

the PHFS the Administrator shall 

consider the factors outlined in 23 

U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(E). Those factors 

include: Changes in the origins and 

destinations of U.S. freight movement; 

changes in the percentage of annual 

daily truck traffic on principal arterials; 

changes in the location of key facilities; 

land and water ports of entry; access to 

energy exploration, development, 

installation, or production areas; access 

to other freight intermodal facilities, 

including rail, air, water, and pipeline 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 / Notices 47707 

3The HPMS is a national-level highway 

information system that includes data on the extent, 

condition, performance, use, and operating 

characteristics of the Nation’s highways. 

facilities; the total freight tonnage and 

value moved on highways; significant 

freight bottlenecks; the significance of 

goods movement on principal arterials, 

including consideration of global and 

domestic supply chains; critical 

emerging freight corridors and critical 

commerce corridors; and network 

connectivity. 23 U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(E). 

Preliminary Analysis for PHFS ReDesignation 

As calculated according to the 

statutory allowance, this re-designation 

may include up to 1,246 miles of 

additional PHFS mileage. The FHWA 

does not recommend removing 

previously designated routes from the 

PHFS unless they are no longer eligible 

for use by trucks. The rationale for 

retaining the existing routes is to ensure 

continued alignment with the State 

Freight Plans completed by all States 

and the District of Columbia pursuant to 

49 U.S.C. 70202, which were based in 

part on the existing PHFS network and 

funding eligibilities of PHFS routes. 

Consideration for re-designation, 

therefore, focuses on technical 

corrections and the assignment of the 

additional 1,246 miles. 

An assessment of changes in HPMS 3

data for the PHFS resulted in an 

increase of approximately 286 

centerline miles from years 2012 to 

2017. The FHWA proposes to add these 

miles to improve the accuracy of the 

network. This addition reduces the 

miles available for the re-designation, 

leaving 960 miles for consideration. 

Several options for designating these 

960 miles have been considered. 

One option would be to provide an 

equal allocation of these 960 miles to 

each State; however, this would yield 

only 18 miles of potential new PHFS for 

each State, the District of Columbia, and 

Puerto Rico. This additional mileage 

might be useful for CUFC or CRFC 

designation but may be too short to 

yield meaningful additions when one of 

the core features of the existing PHFS is 

that the components comprise a 

connected network—one of the statutory 

criteria for consideration. 

Another potential option would be to 

accommodate States that have greater 

restrictions on the use of Interstate 

Highway System routes to gain 

eligibility for funding under the NHFP 

and INFRA. Currently, there are 18 

States (AK, AZ, CA, FL, GA, IL, IN, MO, 

MT, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, 

VA) with PHFS mileage greater than or 

equal to 2 percent of the total PHFS 

mileage in all States. These States may 

obligate funds for projects on the PHFS, 

the CRFCs, and the CUFCs. Remaining 

States with the PHFS mileage of less 

than 2 percent may obligate funds for 

projects on all portions of the NHFN, 

including any portion of the Interstate 

Highway System in that State. Equal 

allocation of 960 miles of PHFS to these 

18 high-mileage States would result in 

53 miles of new PHFS for these States. 

A third option for consideration 

would be to add to the PHFS any routes 

newly flagged as Interstate Highway 

System since the development of the 

Comprehensive PFN (built in 2015 from 

2011 data). That concept, however, 

would not fit within the constraints of 

the 1,246 miles available, as 1,500 miles 

of new Interstate have been designated 

between 2011 and 2018. 

This network is intended to provide 

the foundation for the United States’ 

domestic supply chain and global 

economic competitiveness. Road 

projects using NHFP funds must be 

located on the NHFN (which includes 

the PHFS). The routing of freight is not 

static, however, and it changes in 

response to the factors previously listed. 

In light of this, the network of routes 

with eligibility for investment should 

include components that support 

flexibility and resilience in the freight 

system. 

State Freight Plans provide insight 

into the impact of 23 U.S.C. 

167(d)(2)(E), and future freight system 

needs. States with a State Freight 

Advisory Committee (SFAC) have 

insights into the planning, investment, 

and operations priorities for the public 

and private sector. For this reason and 

in response to the statutory requirement, 

FHWA is particularly interested in the 

input of SFACs regarding the routes to 

be considered in this re-designation. 

Data Submission Criteria for 

Modification to PHFS Re-Designation 

The FHWA seeks comments from 

interested parties, and in particular from 

SFACs, on suggestions for the PHFS redesignation, including comments on the 

potential options identified above. A 

State submitting routes or feedback for 

consideration in the PHFS redesignation should provide a letter of 

support from or on behalf of their SFAC. 

States that have not yet convened a 

SFAC could do so for the purpose of 

responding to this RFI. 

Guidance on State Freight Plans and 

SFACs can be found at: https://

www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 

2016/10/14/2016-24862/guidance-onstate-freight-plans-and-state-freightadvisory-committees. 

Submissions should specifically 

address at least one of the statutory 

criteria of 23 U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(E) as 

justification for inclusion, data to 

support the justification, and the 

mileage needed to address the 

requirement. Any additions or deletions 

proposed for PHFS re-designation 

regarding a specific roadway facility 

should include location details and 

roadway attribute data of the proposed 

segments for updating the existing PHFS 

geospatial network. Maps and tables 

showing roads currently included in the 

PHFS of the NHFN are available by 

State at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/ 

freight/infrastructure/ismt/nhfn_states_

list.htm. Roadway facility specific data 

should be submitted using either of the 

options listed below: Option 1: Tabulate 

proposed PHFS changes by including 

roadway specific information listed on 

Table 1 as a part of comments to this 

RFI through Federal Register comments 

procedures listed above in Addresses 

section (website, hand delivered, or 

courier); or Option 2: Upload geospatial 

data of proposed PHFS changes utilizing 

the State’s linear referenced network 

data set consistent with spatial route 

information in HPMS 2018 with 

attributes listed in Table 2. 

The FHWA encourages respondents to 

provide only that portion of geospatial 

data needed to identify proposed PHFS 

changes compatible with the State’s 

linear referenced network data set 

submitted as the spatial route 

information in HPMS 2018 8.0 software. 

The FHWA will receive geospatial data 

only through FHWA Secure Large File 

Transfer Service (SLFTS). Please contact 

Birat Pandey (birat.pandey@dot.gov) to 

request access to the SLFTS. Further 

details on HPMS can be found in the 

HPMS Field Manual at https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/ 

hpms.cfm. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
47708 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 / Notices 

Respondents are requested to provide 

a narrative description of how the 

proposed changes support goods 

movement by addressing applicable redesignation factors as found in of 23 

U.S.C. 167(d)(2)(E). 

Other entities wishing to provide 

comment are encouraged to engage with 

a State Freight Advisory Committee. 

Comments submitted by entities 

separate from the input of a State 

Freight Advisory Committee will be 

considered for general input into the 

process. 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 167(d). 

Stephanie Pollack, 

Acting Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18350 Filed 8–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. FMCSA–2016–0050] 

Hours of Service of Drivers; Parts and 

Accessories: Application for an 

Exemption From Cleveland-Cliffs Steel, 

LLC. 

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of application for 

exemption; request for comments. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICESEN26AU21.022</GPH> EN26AU21.023</GPH>

Table 1: Roadway Attributes for PHFS Consideration for Data Submission Option 1 

Attribute Attribute Type Attribute Definition Attribute code Remarks Data Type 

1= Modify 

Proposed Type Integer Type of Changes Proposed to Roadway 2=Add Required 

3= Delete 

l=Yes Identify if proposed road is included SFIP Integer Included in State Freight Investment Plan 2=No in current State Freie:ht Investment Required 

MILES Real Number Geometric Mileage Required 

Start Point Character Crossing Roadway Name at Starting Point ReQuired 

End Point Character Crossing Roadway Name at Terminus Point Reauired 

State Integer State Fips Code Reauired 

Countv Integer County Fips Code Reauired 

Route Id Character Location reference ID for Refer HPMS Manual ReQuired 

BEGMP Real Number Beginning Milepost of a Given Segment Refer HPMS Manual Reauired 

ENDMP Real Number Ending Milepost to a Given Segment Refer HPMS Manual Reauired 

SIGNl Character Route Sign Number Refer HPMS Manual Reauired 

SIGNTl Character Route Designation (I, U or S) !=Interstate; U= US Route; S Required = State Route 

LNAME Character alternate road name when SIGNl is missing Required 

1 = Interstate 

2 = Principal Arterial -

Other Freeways and 

Expressways (HPMS Manual) Refer HPMS data 

HPMS Functional System 3 = Principal Arterial - document F_SYSTEM Integer Required Other https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinfo 

4 = Minor Arterial rmation/hpms/fieldmanual/ 

5 = Major Collector 

6 = Minor Collector 

7 = Local 

1= One-Way Roadway. 

Facility_Type Integer HPMS Facility Type 

2=Two-Way Roadway. 

Refer HPMS Manual Required 4=Ramp. 

S=Non-Mainline. 

6=Non-lnventory Direction. 

Table 2: Roadway Attributes for PHFS Consideration for Data Submission Option 2 

Attribute Attribute Type Attribute Definition Attribute Code Remarks Data Type 

Type of Changes Proposed 1= Modify 

ProposedType lnteger{l) to Roadway 2=Add Identify type of proposed changes Required 

3= Delete 

SFIP lnteger{l) Included in State Freight 1 =Yes Identify if proposed road is included in Required Investment Plan 2 = No current State Freight Investment Pian. 

Up to 120 alpha-numeric digits that 

Route_ld :::haracter (120) Location reference ID for Not Applicable identify the route. This ID must be Required 

unique within the State. 

Begin_Point Decimal{8,3) Beginning Milepoint Not Applicable Decimal value in thousandths of a mile. Required 

End_Point Decimal{8,3) Ending Milepoint Not Applicable Decimal value in thousandths of a mile. Required