Emergency Deletion of National Network Route--Kentucky Route 151

Gregory G. Nadeau
Federal Highway Administration
15 June 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39096-39097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14129]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2016-0012]


Emergency Deletion of National Network Route--Kentucky Route 151

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice requests comments on the emergency deletion of 
Kentucky Route 151 (KY 151) (from US 127 north of Lawrenceburg, KY to 
Interstate 64 (I-64) Exit 48) from the National Network (NN) based on 
safety considerations related to numerous truck accidents and route 
geometric deficiencies. On April 26, 2016, FHWA approved the emergency 
deletion of KY 151 (from U.S. 127 north of Lawrenceburg to I-64 Exit 
48), from the NN based on safety considerations. The deletion is not 
final and FHWA seeks public comments and information to assist in 
assessing its impacts.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions, 
please submit them by only one of the following means:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12-140, Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., e.t., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-
366-9329.
     Instructions: You must include the agency name and docket 
number at the beginning of your comments. All comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the deletion from 
the NN, contact Crystal Jones, FHWA Office of Freight Management and 
Operations, telephone at 202-366-2976, or via email at 
Crystal.Jones@dot.gov. For legal questions, please contact William 
Winne, FHWA Office of the Chief Counsel, telephone at 202-366-1397, or 
via email at William.Winne@dot.gov. Business hours for the FHWA are 
from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access

    You may retrieve a copy of the notice through the Federal 
eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. The Web site 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 document may also be 
downloaded from Office of the Federal Register's Web site at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register and the Government Printing Office's 
Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov.

Background

    The NN was authorized by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act 
of 1982 (STAA) (Pub. L. 97-424). Title 23 CFR 658 requires States to 
allow conventional large truck combinations on designated roadways that 
link principal cities and densely developed areas of the States. 
Conventional large truck combinations are tractors with one semitrailer 
of 48 feet in length or one 28-foot semitrailer and one 28-foot 
trailer, both of which can be up to 102 inches wide.
    Even though the geography of interstate commerce has changed 
significantly with the growth of smaller communities into principle 
cities and the emergence of new densely developed areas, the NN has not 
changed significantly in a quarter century. The definition of 
conventional large truck combinations has also not changed, although 
53-feet instead of 48-feet is the prevalent length of a single trailer 
and is allowed in most States.
    The STAA acknowledged that the NN might need to be changed over 
time. Accordingly, FHWA developed regulations on the procedures for 
additions, deletions, and use restrictions. Title 23 CFR 658.11(e) 
provided for emergency deletions of any route from the NN for safety 
considerations. Emergency deletions are not considered final, and must 
be published in the Federal Register for notice and comment.

[[Page 39097]]

    Conventional large truck combinations often use KY 151 as a 
shortcut from I-64 Exit 48 to connect with four-lane divided U.S. 127 
north of Lawrenceburg, KY. A recent series of large truck crashes have 
raised concerns on the appropriateness of its designation as an NN 
route. The predominant type of crash involves trucks veering off the 
roadway where the roadway and shoulders are too narrow for conventional 
combination large trucks. The route has experienced an increasingly 
high rate of single vehicle truck accidents. It has marginal lane 
widths (11 to 12 foot) and shoulder widths (1 to 2 foot) and includes 
sections with horizontal curvature that negatively impact sight 
distances and safe operation of combination truck and bus vehicle 
traffic. The current traffic volume on the nearby alternate route (U.S. 
127) is approximately 18,000 average annual daily traffic (AADT). Based 
on traffic data available, FHWA expects that truck traffic on U.S. 127 
will increase from 1,260 to 1,694 AADT per day, that is, approximately 
434 trucks per day. The percentage of trucks on U.S. 127 would increase 
from about 7 to 9 percent trucks.
    Vehicle collision data gathered from the Kentucky State Police show 
that KY 151 experienced single vehicle accidents involving large trucks 
and buses six times more often than U.S. 127 (the alternate route), 
during the same time period. Further analysis shows that half of the 
accidents on KY 151 are ``Ran Off Roadway (One Vehicle With/Earth 
Embankment/Ditch)'' collisions, while U.S. 127 did not experience a 
single accident of this type during the same reporting period (2010-
2015). The U.S. 127 is a four-lane divided partially controlled access 
highway with 12-foot lanes, 10-foot paved outside shoulders, 4-foot 
paved inside shoulders, and a 40-foot median.

Purpose of the Notice

    The purpose of this notice is to request comments on the deletion 
of KY 151 (from U.S. 127 north of Lawrenceburg to I-64 Exit 48) from 
the NN. To ensure that the NN remains substantially intact, FHWA 
retains the authority to rule upon all requested additions to, and 
deletions from, the NN. This authority includes emergency deletions 
based on safety considerations (23 CFR 658.11(e)). On April 26, 2016, 
FHWA approved the emergency deletion of KY 151 from I-64 to U.S. 127 
(near Lawrenceburg, KY) from the NN based on safety considerations. 
This deletion is not final and FHWA seeks public comments to assist in 
assessing its impacts.
    Comments are requested on the following matters and any others 
relating to the deletion of the route from the NN:
     Will the deletion of the route negatively impact the flow 
of interstate commerce?
     Are there safety issues with the route, particularly as it 
relates to operation of conventional combination large trucks that are 
generally tractors with one semitrailer up to 48 feet in length, or one 
28-foot semitrailer and one 28-foot trailer, and up to 102 inches wide?
     What is the safety record of the route, including current 
or anticipated safety problems?
     Is the route experiencing above normal accident rates and/
or accident severities?
     Is there information available that indicates that the 
accident problems on the route are aggravated by larger conventional 
trucks?
     What are the geometric, structural, or traffic operations 
features that might preclude safe and efficient operation of large 
conventional trucks (e.g., lane widths, sight distance, severity and 
length of grades, horizontal curvature, shoulder width, narrow bridges, 
bridge clearances and load limits, traffic volumes and vehicle mix, 
intersection geometrics, and vulnerability of roadside property)? 
(Pictures or illustrations would be helpful.)
     Are there operational restrictions that might be 
implemented in lieu of deletion of the route from the NN?
     Are there locations on the route that large trucks require 
access to such as terminals and facilities for food, fuel, repairs, and 
rest?
     Is U.S. 127 a reasonable alternate route?
     Are there safety concerns with the use of U.S. 127 as 
alternate route. (Pictures or illustrations would be helpful.)

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 31111-31114; Sections 411 and 412 of the 
Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-424).

    Issued on: June 1, 2016.
Gregory G. Nadeau,
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-14129 Filed 6-14-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P