Temporary Closure of I-395 Just South of Conway Street in the City of Baltimore to Vehicular Traffic To Accommodate the Construction and Operation of the Baltimore Grand Prix

Topics:  Federal Highway Administration, Grand Prix of Baltimore

Victor M. Mendez
Federal Register
August 22, 2011

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 162 (Monday, August 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52380-52382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21406]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2011-0050]


Temporary Closure of I-395 Just South of Conway Street in the 
City of Baltimore to Vehicular Traffic To Accommodate the Construction 
and Operation of the Baltimore Grand Prix

AGENCIES: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Final Notice.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA has approved a request from Maryland Transportation 
Authority (MDTA) to temporarily close a portion of I-395 (just south of 
Conway Street in Baltimore City) from approximately 7 p.m. on Thursday, 
September 1, 2011, until approximately 6 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 
2011. The closure is requested to accommodate the construction and 
operation of the Baltimore Grand Prix (BGP), which will use the streets 
of downtown Baltimore as a race course.
    The approval is granted in accordance with the provisions of 23 CFR 
658.11 which authorizes the deletion of segments of the federally 
designated routes that make up the National Network designated in 
Appendix A of 23 CFR Part 658. The FHWA published a Notice and Request 
for Comment on June 28, 2011, seeking comments from the general public 
on this request submitted by the MDTA for a deletion in accordance with 
23 CFR 658.11(d). No public comments were received.

DATES: Effective Date(s): This Notice is effective immediately.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Nicholas, Truck Size and 
Weight Program Manager in the Office of Freight Management, (202) 366-
2317; Mr. William Winne, Office of the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-0791, 
Federal Highway Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590; and Mr. Gregory Murrill, FHWA Division 
Administrator-DELMAR Division, (410) 962-4440. Office hours for FHWA 
are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access and Filing

    You may retrieve a copy of the Notice and Request for Comment, 
comments submitted to the docket, and a copy of this final 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

[[Page 52381]]

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 home page at: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register and the Government Printing Office's Web page at: 
http://www.gpoaccess.gov.

Background

    The MDTA submitted a request to the FHWA for approval of the 
temporary closure of I-395 just south of Conway Street in the city of 
Baltimore from the period beginning Thursday, September 1, 2011, at 
approximately 7 p.m. through Tuesday, September 6, 2011, at around 6 
a.m., encompassing the Labor Day holiday. This closure will be 
undertaken in support of the BGP which will use the streets of downtown 
Baltimore as a race course. The MDTA is the owner and operator of I-395 
and I-95 within the city of Baltimore.
    The FHWA is responsible for enforcing the Federal regulations 
applicable to the National Network of highways that can safely and 
efficiently accommodate the large vehicles authorized by provisions of 
the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (STAA), as amended, 
designated in accordance with 23 CFR Part 658 and listed in Appendix A. 
In accordance with 23 CFR 658.11, the FHWA may approve deletions or 
restrictions of the Interstate system or other National Network route 
based upon specified justification criteria in Sec.  658.11(d)(2). 
Requests for deletions are published in the Federal Register for notice 
and comment.

Notice and Request for Comment

    The FHWA published a Notice and Request for Comment on June 28, 
2011, seeking comments from the general public on this request 
submitted by the MDTA for a deletion in accordance with 23 CFR 
658.11(d). The comment period closed on July 28, 2011. No public 
comments were received.
    The FHWA sought comments on this request for temporary deletion 
from the National Network in accordance with 23 CFR 658.11(d). 
Specifically, the request is for approval of the temporary closure of 
I-395 just south of Conway Street in the city of Baltimore from the 
period beginning Thursday, September 1, 2011, at approximately 7 p.m. 
through Tuesday, September 6, 2011, at around 6 a.m., encompassing the 
Labor Day holiday. This closure will be undertaken in support of the 
BGP which will use the streets of downtown Baltimore as a race course. 
It is anticipated the BGP event will be hosted in the city of Baltimore 
for 5 consecutive years beginning in 2011. The inaugural event is 
scheduled to occur September 2 through September 4, 2011. The event is 
expected to attract 150,000 spectators over a 3-4 day period, not 
including the event organizer workforce and volunteers, the racing 
organizations and their respective personnel, or media and vendors. 
Event planners expect spectators from within a 400-mile radius of the 
city, with a large portion traveling the I-95 corridor. It is 
anticipated that the attendance for the peak day (Sunday) will reach 
70,000 people with most arriving by private vehicle.
    The construction and operation of the race course will create 
safety concerns by obstructing access from the I-395 northern terminus 
to the local street system including Howard Street, Conway Street, and 
Lee Street. However, an existing connection from I-395 to Martin Luther 
King Jr. Boulevard will remain open throughout the event. In addition, 
access to and from I-95 into and out of the city along alternative 
access routes, including U.S. 1, U.S. 40, Russell Street, and 
Washington Boulevard will be maintained. The BGP and the city are 
developing a signage plan to inform and guide motorists to, through, 
and around the impacted downtown area. The statewide transportation 
operations system, the Coordinated Highways Action Response Team, will 
provide real-time traffic information to motorists through dynamic 
message signs and highway advisory radio. The MDTA states that the 
temporary closure of this segment of I-395 to general traffic should 
have no impact on interstate commerce. I-95, the main north-south 
Interstate route in the region, will remain open during the time period 
of the event. There are five additional I-95 interchanges, just to the 
north or south of I-395, with connections to the local street system 
including the arterials servicing the city's downtown area. A sign and 
supplemental traffic control systems plan is being developed as part of 
the event's Traffic Management Plan (TMP). In addition, I-695 
(Baltimore Beltway) will provide motorists traveling through the region 
the ability to bypass the impact area by circling around the city.
    Commercial motor vehicles of the dimensions and configurations 
described in 23 CFR 658.13 and 658.15 which serve the impacted area, 
may use the alternate routes listed above. Vehicles servicing the 
businesses bordering the impacted area will still be able to do so by 
also using the alternative routes noted above to circulate around the 
restricted area. In addition, vehicles not serving businesses in the 
restricted area but, currently using I-395 and the local street system 
to reach their ultimate destinations, will be able to use the I-95 
interchanges north and south of I-395 to access the alternative routes. 
A map depicting the alternative routes is available electronically at 
the docket established for this notice at http://www.regulations.gov. 
The MDTA has reviewed these alternative routes and determined the 
routes to generally be capable of safely accommodating the diverted 
traffic during the period of temporary restriction. As mentioned 
previously, a sign and supplemental traffic control system plan is also 
being developed as part of the event's TMP. Commercial vehicles as well 
as general traffic leaving the downtown area will also be able to use 
the alternative routes to reach I-95 and the rest of the Interstate 
System. The BGP and the city are working closely with businesses, 
including the hotels and restaurants located within the impact area, to 
schedule deliveries prior to the proposed I-395 closure to the extent 
feasible. The BGP is also working with affected businesses to schedule 
delivery services during the event period.
    The plan is to use a credentialing process for access through 
designated gates with access to specific loading areas. This request to 
temporarily close I-395 was prepared for the MDTA by the BGP and the 
city. In addition, the city has reached out to the Federal, State, and 
local agencies to collaborate and coordinate efforts to address the 
logistical challenges of hosting the BGP. The BGP and the city have 
worked extensively with the businesses and residential communities in 
the city that could be affected by the event. These efforts include the 
formation of Task Forces and event Sub-Committees, to guide the 
development of plans for event security, transportation management, 
public safety and more. Neighborhood meetings have been held since late 
2009 to discuss the event and pertinent access issues.
    The FHWA did not receive any comments in response to the Notice and 
Request for Comment. After full consideration of the MDTA request 
discussed in this final notice and determining that the request meets 
the requirements of 23 CFR 658.11(d), the FHWA approves the deletion as 
proposed.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 127, 315 and 49 U.S.C. 31111, 31112, and 
31114; 23 CFR Part 658.


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    Issued on: August 15, 2011.
Victor M. Mendez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-21406 Filed 8-19-11; 8:45 am]
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