Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

Michael Howell
Federal Highway Administration
23 January 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 3255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01137]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2018-0001]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: 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 a new 
information collection, which 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 March 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
2018-0001 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: Go to 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 20590-0001.
    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: Mr. Chris Jaeschke, 703-404-6306, 
Planning and Programming (HFPP-15), Eastern Federal Lands Highway 
Division, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, 
21400 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, VA 20166. Office hours are from 7:30 
a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: ``Right-of-Way Cost Estimation Processes; State of the 
Practice''. Government agencies that acquire real property for a 
Federal-aid highway program typically consider the cost of many 
alternatives for a potential project. As a part of this consideration, 
estimates of the cost of right-of-way needed for potential highway 
alignments must be determined and documented. Agencies may use several 
different methods to determine the estimate and document these costs. 
The methods range from a process using only paper and pencil, all the 
way to a process utilizing Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping 
and electronic data capture methods. The electronic methods presumably 
include an electronic calculation method which tabulates and calculates 
total costs, area to be acquired, and the numbers of relocations of 
residential and business property owners and tenants. Utilizing the 
paper-based method necessarily requires manual collection, organization 
and calculation which are likely expensive and inefficient, both in 
terms of dedicated staff time and dollars spent.
    Respondents: Each State DOT will be asked to respond, as well as a 
limited number (5-10) of local government agencies that have large and 
complex transportation programs. Each invited agency will be asked to 
respond to a one-time survey containing questions about the agency's 
ROW cost estimation process and management.
    Frequency: There will be one survey only.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 8-16 person-
hours to fully and accurately respond to the survey, depending on the 
size and complexity of an individual agency's transportation program.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 900 hours. (This 
is the estimated total burden, for approximately 60 State and local 
government transportation agencies to respond to a single survey).
    Public Comments Invited: 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 burdens; (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. 
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: January 17, 2018.
Michael Howell,
FHWA Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-01137 Filed 1-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P