Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection

Topics:  Federal Highway Administration

Juli Huynh
Federal Register
June 1, 2011

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31675-31676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13412]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA 2011-0051]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for 
renewal of a previously approved information collection that is 
summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are required to 
publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by July 1, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
FHWA 2011-0051 by any of the following methods:
    Web Site: 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. E.T., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Shemaka, 202-366-1575, Office of 
Bridge Technology, Federal Highway Administration, Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Highway Bridge and National Bridge Inspection Programs.
    Background: The Highway Bridge and National Bridge Inspection 
Programs require bridge inspection and reporting at regular intervals 
for all highway bridges greater than 20 feet in length located on 
public roads. Title 23, U.S.C., Section 144 defines the Highway Bridge 
Program. Title 23, U.S.C., Section 151 defines the National Bridge 
Inspection Program. They are further defined in regulation, 23 CFR 650 
C, National Bridge Inspection Standards, and 23 CFR 650 D, Highway 
Bridge Program. Inspections of fracture critical bridges and underwater 
inspections are also required at prescribed intervals. The bridge 
inspection information that is provided to the FHWA on an annual basis 
is summarized on the Structure Inventory and Appraisal (SI&A) Sheet. 
The inspection information is used for multiple purposes, including: 
(1) The determination of the condition of the Nation's bridges; (2) as 
a basis for setting initial priorities for the replacement or 
rehabilitation of bridges under the Highway Bridge Program (HBP); and 
(3) for apportioning HBP funds to the States for bridge replacement or 
rehabilitation. In order to apportion funds for the HBP, the law 
requires that a cost to replace or rehabilitate each bridge needs to be 
determined. In order to determine that cost, the FHWA collects data on 
new and replaced bridges from the States annually. In addition, the 
information is used for strategic national defense needs and for 
preparing an annual report to Congress on the status of the Nation's 
highway bridges.
    Respondents: 52 State highway agencies including the District of 
Columbia and Puerto Rico, and Federal agencies. The number of 
inspections per respondent varies in accordance with the national 
bridge inventory.

[[Page 31676]]

    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated average burden 
for each inspection is 8 hours. The estimated average burden for each 
cost collection report is 90 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: The annual burden associated 
with the inspection is 2,289,600 hours (286,200 inspections). The 
annual burden associated with the cost report is 4,680 hours (52 
reports) for a combined annual burden of 2,294,280 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: May 25, 2011.
Juli Huynh,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-13412 Filed 5-31-11; 8:45 am]
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