[Federal Register: February 9, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 27)]
[Notices]
[Page 6311-6313]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09fe07-100]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2006-23638]
Highway Performance Monitoring System--Reassessment
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA is currently conducting a reassessment of the Highway
Performance Monitoring System (HPMS), which is a national highway
transportation system database maintained and used primarily by the
FHWA as a resource for information about the extent, condition,
performance, use, and operating characteristics of the Nation's
highways. This notice requests public comment on the draft HPMS
Reassessment Recommendations Report, which is available in the docket
and via the FHWA Web site at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hpms/index.htm.
This draft
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report documents in detail various issues and proposed changes to
specific HPMS data items and the associated collecting and reporting
procedures based in part upon customer and data provider needs. The
FHWA requests public comments on this draft report. The report would
enhance and improve HPMS procedures and incorporate changing data
customer needs while building a stronger partnership with the HPMS data
user and provider community.
DATES: Comments on the draft report must be received on or before June
30, 2007. The docket however, will remain open until the reassessment
is complete. We anticipate that the reassessment will be completed on
September 30, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Mail or hand deliver comments to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov/submit
, or fax comments to (202) 493-2251. 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 comments must include a self-addressed, stamped postcard or
you may print the acknowledgement page that appears after submitting
comments electronically. Anyone is able to search the electronic form
of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the
individual submitting the comments (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70, Pages
19477-78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Winter, Highway System
Performance Division, Office of Highway Information, (202) 366-0175,
David.Winter@dot.gov; or Janet Myers, Office of the Chief Counsel,
(202) 366-2019, Janet.Myers@dot.gov; Federal Highway Administration,
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access: You may submit or retrieve comments online
through the Document Management System (DMS) at http://dms.dot.gov/submit.
The DMS is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year.
Electronic submission and retrieval help and guidelines are available
under the help section of the Web site.
An electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office
of the Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the Government Printing Office's Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.
Background
On April 10, 2006, the FHWA published a notice in the Federal
Register (71 FR 18134) announcing the initiation of a reassessment of
the HPMS. The notice served as an announcement and requested public
comment on issues related to the reassessment effort of the HPMS that
the FHWA initiated. Public comments were solicited at that time on the
described conceptual plan for the reassessment, in addition to comments
on other issues that should be considered in planning and conducting
the reassessment. During the reassessment, the FHWA developed working
issue papers and placed them in the docket for review and comment. The
working issue papers are still available for comment in the docket.
The HPMS first was developed in 1978 as a national highway
transportation system database. In its current configuration, the HPMS
includes limited data on all public roads, more detailed data for a
sample of the arterial and collector functional systems, and area-wide
summary information for urbanized, small urban, and rural areas. Over
its nearly 30 year life, the HPMS has evolved, adjusting to legislative
and other changes in the focus of the highway program.
Draft HPMS Reassessment Recommendations Report
The FHWA continues to take an open approach to completing the
reassessment effort. Major emphasis is directed towards determining the
data needs of FHWA's partners, stakeholders, and customers, the various
uses of the existing HPMS, and the ability of data providers to support
these data needs.
There are three major categories of proposed changes discussed in
the HPMS Reassessment Recommendations Report: (1) Structure of HPMS;
(2) Data Items; and, (3) Data Quality Process Improvement. In each
category, the report explores the potential impact of the recommended
changes on the State data providers, the FHWA, and the data users. Each
recommendations is accompanied by an explanation as to why certain
decisions were made, along with feedback from HPMS data users and
providers gathered through the outreach portion of the reassessment.
The recommendation topic areas by category are:
Structure of HPMS: Data Model, Sampling, Boundaries and
Functional Classification, and Interchanges and Ramps;
Data Items: Safety, Pavements, Interchanges and Ramps,
Freight, and Capacity; and
Data Quality and Process Improvement.
The FHWA has prepared the draft version of the HPMS Reassessment
Recommendations Report after taking into consideration comments made
directly through the docket, raised at all workshops, and collected
through other outreach efforts. Comments on the draft report should be
submitted to the FHWA through the docket on or before June 30, 2007.
The FHWA will respond to comments on the draft report generated by this
notice and expects to complete its final recommendations report and
publish it in the Federal Register for public review and comment by
September 30, 2007.
Outreach
As a part of the reassessment, the FHWA will conduct a second
series of outreach meetings and workshops: On March 7-8 (8 a.m.-4 p.m.,
e.t.) in Baltimore, MD, on March 13-14 (8 a.m.-4 p.m., p.t.) in
Sacramento, CA, and on March 27-28 (8 a.m.-4 p.m., c.t.) in Topeka, KS,
at which interested parties are asked to provide input and help to
refine a future HPMS direction based on the recommendations made in the
draft report. The FHWA will post specific workshop information online
at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hpms/index.htm. Soon after the
outreach workshops take place, the FHWA will place the minutes and
other supporting documents in the docket for review and comment.
Interested parties should continue to check the docket for new
material.
Conclusion
The FHWA is soliciting public comments on the draft HPMS
Reassessment Recommendations Report. Modifications to this draft report
may be based on the comments received, if any. The draft report is
available in the docket and via the FHWA Web site at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hpms/index.htm.
Additionally, the FHWA
will hold several outreach sessions to further discuss the reassessment
of the HPMS. As previously mentioned, the FHWA will
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post specific information about the outreach meetings on its Web site
at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hpms/index.htm.
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 502; 23 CFR 1.5.
Issued on: February 2, 2007.
J. Richard Capka,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 07-578 Filed 2-8-07; 8:45 am]
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