[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50967-50969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14254]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Announcement of Application Procedure and Deadlines for the Truck
Parking Initiative
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; solicitation of applications.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice solicits applications for the truck parking
initiative for which funding is available under Section 1305 of the
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU directs the Secretary to
establish a pilot program to address the shortage of long-term parking
for commercial motor vehicles on the National Highway System. States,
metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and local governments are
eligible for the funding available for fiscal years (FY) 2006-2009.
Section 1305 allows for a wide range of eligible projects, ranging from
construction of spaces and other capital improvements to using
intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technology to increase
information on the availability of both public and private commercial
vehicle parking spaces. For purposes of this program, long-term parking
is defined as parking available for 10 or more consecutive hours.
DATES: Applications must be received by the FHWA Division Office no
later than November 27, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The FHWA Division Office locations can be found at the
following URL: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/field.html#fieldsites.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Mahorney, Office of
Freight Management and Operations, telephone 202-366-6817
bill.mahorney@dot.gov; for legal questions, Mr. Robert Black, Office of
the Chief Counsel, Federal Highway Administration, telephone: (202)
366-1359 robert.black@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., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
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.
[[Page 50968]]
I. Background
The Truck Parking Initiative could further the goals of the
Department of Transportation's new National Strategy to Reduce
Congestion on America's Transportation Network, announced on May 16,
2006.\1\ By creating a program that provides funds to address long-term
truck parking on the National Highway System, the Department
anticipates that commercial motor vehicles will be better able to plan
rest stops and better time their transit or loading/unloading within
urban areas, thereby reducing the urban area's congestion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Speaking before the National Retail Federation's annual
conference on May 16, 2006, in Washington, DC, former U.S.
Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta unveiled a new
plan to reduce congestion plaguing America's roads, rail, and
airports. The National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's
Transportation Network includes a number of initiatives designed to
reduce transportation congestion. The transcript of these remarks is
available at the following URL: http://dot.gov/minetasp051606.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The shortage of long-term truck parking on the National Highway
System (NHS) is a problem that needs to be addressed. The 2002 FHWA
Report ``Study of Adequacy of Parking Facilities'' \2\ indicated that
truck parking shortages are either non-existent or corridor-specific in
some States, but more severe and pervasive in some States and regions.
The report recommendations include expansion or improvement of public
rest areas; expansion or improvement of commercial truck stops and
travel plazas; use of public-private partnerships; educating or
informing drivers about available spaces; and changing current parking
rules. This lack of available parking not only adds to congestion in
urban areas, but may affect safety by reducing the opportunities for
drivers to obtain rest needed to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Regulations, Hours of Service of Drivers (49 CFR part
395.3(a)(1)), which prohibits ``driving more than 11 cumulative hours
following 10 consecutive hours off-duty.'' Further, parking areas are
often designed or maintained for short-term parking only, and as a
result, allow parking for limited time periods. Section 1305 of
SAFETEA-LU (Pub. L. 109-59; Aug. 10, 2005) directed the Secretary of
Transportation to establish a pilot program to address the long-term
parking shortages along the National Highway System (NHS). Eligible
projects under Section 1305 include projects that:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ A copy of this document is available for inspection in the
docket for this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Promote the real-time dissemination of publicly or privately
provided commercial motor vehicle parking availability on the NHS using
ITS and other means;
2. Opening non-traditional facilities to commercial motor vehicle
parking, including inspection and weigh stations, and park and ride
facilities;
3. Making capital improvements to public commercial motor vehicle
parking facilities currently closed on a seasonal basis to allow the
facilities to remain open year round;
4. Constructing turnouts along the NHS to facilitate commercial
motor vehicle access to parking facilities, and/or improving the
geometric design of interchanges to improve access to commercial motor
vehicle parking facilities;
5. Constructing commercial motor vehicle parking facilities
adjacent to commercial truck stops and travel plazas; and
6. Constructing safety rest areas that include parking for
commercial motor vehicles.
The FHWA believes that projects designed to disseminate information
on the availability and/or location of public or private long-term
parking spaces provides the greatest opportunity to maximize the
effectiveness of this pilot program.
II. Funding Information
1. The Administrator has determined that $5.385 million is
available for grants in FY 2006 under Section 1305, after obligation
limitations.
2. Section 1305 authorizes $6.25 million for each of the fiscal
years 2006 through 2009. Each year, after Congress has appropriated
funds for the program, the obligation limitation will be determined. A
similar solicitation for grant applications will be published each
fiscal year. Funds authorized to carry out this section remain
available until expended.
3. Projects funded under this section shall be treated as projects
on a Federal-Aid System under Chapter 1 of Title 23, United States
Code.
4. Grants may be funded at an 80 to 100 percent funding level based
on the criteria specified in Sections 120(b) and (c) of Title 23, U.S.
Code.
This notice will also be posted on the FHWA Office of Freight
Management and Operations Web site, http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/
freight. An original and ten copies of each application must be
submitted by a State Department of Transportation to the FHWA's Office
of Freight Management and Operations, via the FHWA Division Office in
the State in which the application was submitted. Awarded projects will
be administered by the applicable State Department of Transportation as
a Federal-aid grant. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act,
OMB has provided emergency clearance for this action (OMB Control
number 2125-0610, July 28, 2006). A request for comments for the new
information collection (Docket No. 2006-25066) was published in the
Federal Register on June 26, 2006. Comments may be submitted in
response to this request until August 25, 2006.
III. Proposal Content
All proposals should include the following:
1. A detailed project description, which would include the extent
of the long-term truck parking shortage in the corridor/area to be
addressed, along with contact information for the project's primary
point of contact, and whether funds are being requested under 23 U.S.C.
120(b) or (c). Data helping to define the shortage may include truck
volume (Average Daily Truck Traffic--ADTT) in the corridor to be
addressed, current number of long-term commercial motor vehicle parking
spaces, use of current long-term parking spaces, driver surveys,
observational field studies, proximity to freight loading/unloading
facilities, and proximity to the NHS.
2. The rationale for the project should include an analysis and
demonstration of how the proposed project will positively affect truck
parking, safety, traffic congestion, or air quality in the identified
corridor. Examples may include: advance information on availability of
parking that may help to reduce the number of trucks parked on
roadsides and increase the use of available truck parking spaces.
3. The scope of work should include a complete listing of
activities to be funded through the grant, including technology
development, information processing, information integration
activities, developmental phase activities (planning, feasibility
analysis, environmental review, engineering or design work, and other
activities), construction, reconstruction, acquisition of real property
(including land related to the project and improvements to land),
environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of
equipment, and operational improvements.
4. Stakeholder identification should include evidence of prior
consultation and/or partnership with affected Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs), local governments, community groups, private
providers of commercial motor vehicle parking, and motorist and
[[Page 50969]]
trucking organizations. Also, include a listing of all public and
private partners, and the role each will play in the execution of the
project. Commitment/consultation examples may include: Memorandums of
Agreement, Memorandums of Understanding, contracts, meeting minutes,
letters of support/commitment, and documentation in a metropolitan
transportation improvement program (TIP) or statewide transportation
improvement program (STIP).
5. A detailed quantification of eligible project costs by activity,
an identification of all funding sources that will supplement the grant
and be necessary to fully fund the project, and the anticipated dates
on which the additional funds are to be made available. Public and
private sources of funds (non-Federal commitment) will be considered by
the FHWA as an in-kind match contributing to the project. State
matching funds will be required for projects eligible under 23 U.S.C.
120 U.S.C. (b).
6. Applicants should provide a timeline that includes work to be
completed and anticipated funding cycles. Gantt charts are preferred.
7. Environmental process: Please include a timeline for complying
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, if
applicable.
8. Include a project map that consists of a schematic illustration
depicting the project and connecting transportation infrastructure.
9. Measurement Plan. Submitter must describe a measurement plan to
determine whether or not the project achieved its intended results. The
measurement plan must continue for three years beyond the completion
date of the project. After the three-year period, a final report
quantifying the results of the project must be submitted to the FHWA.
10. Proposals should not exceed 20 pages in length.
IV. Applicant Review Information
Grant applications that contain the mandatory elements will be
scored competitively according to the soundness of their methodology
and subject to the criteria listed below. Sub-factors listed under each
factor are of equal importance unless otherwise noted.
A. Scoring Criteria
1. Demonstration of severe shortage (number of spaces, access to
existing spaces or information/knowledge of space availability) of
commercial motor vehicle parking capacity/utilization in corridor or
area to be addressed (20 percent).
Examples used to demonstrate severe shortage may include:
Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) in proposal area.
Average daily shortfall of truck parking in proposal area.
Ratio of ADTT to average daily shortfall of truck parking
in proposal area.
Proximity to NHS.
2. The extent to which the proposed solution resolves the described
shortage (35 percent).
Examples should include:
Number of truck parking spaces per day that will be used
as a result of the proposed solution.
The effect on highway safety, traffic congestion, and/or
air quality.
3. Cost effectiveness of proposal (25 percent).
Examples should include:
How many truck parking spaces will be used per day per
dollar expended?
Total cost of project, including all non-Federal funds
that will be contributed to the project.
4. Scope of proposal (20 percent).
Examples should include:
Evidence of a wide range of input from affected parties,
including State and local governments, community groups, private
providers of commercial motor vehicle parking, and motorist and
trucking organizations.
Whether the principles outlined in the proposal can be
applied to other locations/projects and possibly serve as a model for
other locations.
B. Review Standards
1. All applications for grants must be submitted to the FHWA
Division Office by the State DOT by the date specified in this notice.
2. State DOTs should ensure that the project proposal is compatible
with or documented on their planning documents (TIP and STIP). They
should also validate, to the extent the can, any analytic data.
3. Each application will be reviewed for conformance with the
provisions in this notice.
4. Applications lacking any of the mandatory elements or arriving
after the deadline for submission will not be considered. To assure
full consideration, proposals should not exceed 20 pages in length.
5. Applicants may be contacted for additional information or
clarification.
6. Applications complying with the requirements outlined in this
notice will be evaluated competitively by a panel selected by the
Director, Office of Freight Management and Operations, and will be
scored as described in the scoring criteria.
7. If the FHWA determines that the project is technically or
financially unfeasible, FHWA will notify the applicant, in writing.
8. The FHWA reserves the right to partially fund or request
modification of projects.
9. All information described in the submitter's mandatory proposal
elements must be quantifiable and sourced.
10. Submitter must describe a measurement plan to determine whether
or not the project will achieve its intended results. The measurement
plan must continue for three years beyond the date of the project.
After a three-year period, a final report quantifying the results of
the project must be submitted to the FHWA.
11. The proposed projects should not compete with local businesses
or commercial enterprises.
V. Selection Process
The grant applications will be ranked by final score. The FHWA will
select applications based on those rankings, subject to the
availability of funds.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
The FHWA recognizes that each funded project is unique, and
therefore may attach conditions to different projects' award documents.
The FHWA will send an award letter with a grant agreement that contains
all the terms and conditions for the grant. These successful applicants
must execute and return the grant agreement, accompanied by any
additional items required by the grant agreement.
B. Performance Reporting and Measurement
Failure to provide the measurement plan will be considered during
the past-performance element of future grant applications.
Authority: Pub. L. 109-59; Aug. 10, 2005.
Issued on: August 23, 2006.
Frederick G. Wright, Jr.,
Federal Highway Executive Director.
[FR Doc. E6-14254 Filed 8-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P