2012-15366. Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

AGENCY:

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection, which is summarized below under Supplementary Information. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information collection on May 14, 2012. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Please submit comments by July 26, 2012.

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-2012-0052.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Scurry, [phone] or [e-mail] mailto: [e-mail], Office of Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Assessment and Delivery of Safety Funding at the Local Level.

Type of request: New information collection requirement.

Background: The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), 23 U.S.C. 148, established the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) as a core federal-aid highway program. The overall purpose of this program is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads through the implementation of infrastructure-related highway safety improvements. Using federal and state funds to assist local agencies in improving safety on local roads is critical for reducing fatalities and serious injuries. However, state and local agencies face many challenges and barriers when identifying, prioritizing, developing, and implementing safety projects on local roads.

The requested information collection, in the form of an on-line survey tool, will be used to evaluate the extent, practices and processes state departments of transportation (DOTs) use to deliver or apply safety funding resources to local agencies for road safety improvement projects. The survey will also help identify challenges and barriers state DOTs and local agencies face when developing and implementing local road safety projects.

Survey respondents will be asked to provide information about training, technical support, and human resources provided to, or on behalf of local agencies, to assist in the identification, analysis, development, evaluation, and implementation of local road safety improvement projects. Respondents will also be asked to identify any challenges or barriers states and local agencies face when attempting to provide funding and other resources for local road safety projects.

Certain survey respondents will also be asked to provide feedback on federal or state fiscal year expenditures applied to local road safety improvement projects over a three-year period and any methodologies used to identify a specific dollar amount or percentage of funds set aside for those local road safety improvement projects.

The information will allow FHWA to assess the extent to which states are providing funds to local agencies for safety projects, and to identify human resources and technical assistance states need in order to overcome barriers and challenges to developing and implementing local road safety improvement projects. The survey will also help FHWA identify noteworthy practices that can be implemented in other states, with the ultimate goal of improving highway safety outcomes across the Nation.

Respondents: State DOTs.

Frequency: one time.

Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 5 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: The total burden for this collection would be approximately 250 hours.

Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the U.S. DOT's performance, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the U.S. DOT's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (3) ways 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: June 19, 2012.

Steven Smith,

Chief, Information Technology Division.