Introduction: This is a request for the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval for new information collection to issue a survey that will result in an update to the High-Risk Rural Roads (HRRR) Study, Report to Congress and Best Practices Manual Update. This is an emergency clearance/request for OMB to approve a 180-day clearance.
PART A. JUSTIFICATION.
1. Circumstances that make collection of information necessary:
The 23 U.S.C. 148 note of the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” (BIL) (Public Law 117-58) requires the USDOT to update the HRRR Study, Report and Best Practices Manual first completed under MAP-21 (Section 1112(b)(1)).
In carrying out the study, FHWA is required to conduct a nationwide survey of the current practices of various agencies. Consistent with the first survey completed under MAP-21, respondent agencies will include departments of transportation for 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, in addition to appropriate officials from local agencies, including municipal, county, and Tribal highway departments and municipal public works agencies from across the country.
2. How, by whom, and for what purpose is the information used:
Contractors, on behalf of FHWA, will lead the information collection which will include an electronic survey. The purpose of the information collection will be to identify and gather information necessary to address the BIL-required elements and update the noteworthy practices manual, specifically collecting information on:
noteworthy program and treatment practices for improving rural road safety,
cost-effective roadway safety infrastructure improvements, and
the effectiveness of cost-effective roadway safety treatments.
The project team will use the results of the survey in conjunction with a literature research to update a report to be published on the U.S. Department of Transportation website as required by BIL. The report is required to include: (1) A summary of cost-effective roadway safety infrastructure improvements; (2) a summary of the latest research on the financial savings and reductions in fatalities and serious bodily injury crashes from the implementation of cost-effective roadway safety infrastructure improvements; and (3) and recommendations for State and local governments on best practice methods to install cost-effective roadway safety infrastructure on high-risk rural roads. The legislation also requires the results of the survey and the report to be used to update a noteworthy practices manual to support Federal, State, and local efforts to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on high-risk rural roads. The report and updated noteworthy practices manual will be used by both FHWA and State DOTs to improve safety on high-risk rural roads.
3. Extent of automated information collection:
The proposed method of data collection uses a web-based survey tool called Qualtrics. This tool allows users to take the survey at any location with internet access and to save data as they go, enabling them to continue the survey at a later time.
Emails will be sent to 50 State department of transportation representatives, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (those most responsible for implementing high risk rural road safety projects in their agency), and 100 local agency representatives (i.e. local agencies such as municipal, county, or tribal public works departments). An email will be sent to the State and local representatives providing background information on the study and instructions for responding to the survey.
4. Efforts to identify duplication:
Other noteworthy practice information has been studied for various types of safety improvements, but no up-to-date, national, comprehensive data set is available for only those improvements used on HRRRs.
5. Efforts to minimize the burden on small businesses:
N/A. No small businesses will be surveyed for this collection.
6. Impact of less frequent collection of information:
N/A. This will only be a one-time collection.
7. Special circumstances:
N/A. No special circumstances apply.
8. Compliance with 5 CFR 1320.8:
The 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register on March 15, 2022, in Vol. 87, No. 50, on pp. 14611-1461. Three comments were received in response to the 60-day Notice. Commenters included the Department of Transportation from one State and two individuals. There were no comments submitted that expressed disagreement with the proposed information collection. As a result, no changes to the planned information collection have been made by FHWA in response to these comments. This is an emergency clearance/request for OMB to approve a 180-day clearance.
9. Payments or gifts to respondents:
N/A. No payments or gifts will be given to respondents.
10. Assurance of confidentiality:
N/A. The information being collected is not confidential. This information will be used in a report that will be available to the public. No personally identifiable information will be required. The name, title, agency, and email address of the respondent will be collected; however, this information will not be shared.
11. Justification for collection of sensitive information:
N/A. No collection of sensitive information is anticipated.
12. Estimate of burden hours for information requested:
The estimated number of burden hours per response is 4 hours. The respondents include 52 departments of transportation (all 50 States plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) and 100 local agencies such as municipal, county, or tribal public works departments. The total of 152 respondents ´ 4 hours per response equals a total burden time of 608 hours. The total cost for each respondent based on 4 hours at $102 per hour is $408.00. The estimated cost of $102 per hour for a local agency employee was the rate used for the original study done in 2012 ($80) adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rate was checked for reasonableness considering a wide range of salaries of state and local agency professionals expected to be responding to the survey and typical overhead rates of local agency governments. The collective cost to respondents for the information collection is calculated as 608 hours ´ $102 per hour for a total of $62,016.
13. Estimate of total annual costs to respondents:
There are no annual costs to respondents.
14. Estimate of cost to the Federal government:
FHWA has hired a contractor for this information collection task. The total cost for the survey development and collection efforts is estimated by the contractor to be $40,500.00 based on a cost of $39,240 for the contractor and $1,250 for FHWA staff hours. The contractor estimate is based on 332 hours of contractor employees at various classifications to complete this work. Each rate is the agreed-upon billing rate in the IDIQ Contract. The FHWA staff hours cost is based on an estimate of 10 hours of labor. Note that this task is part of a larger contract to complete the study, report, and manual.
15. Explanation of program changes or adjustments:
N/A. This is a new Information Collection. There are no program changes or adjustments.
16. Publication of results of data collection:
The results will be published on the website of the Department of Transportation in a report for the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives. The report is due by November 15, 2023.
17. Approval for not displaying the expiration date of OMB approval:
N/A. Expiration date of OMB approval will be displayed.
18. Exceptions to certification statement:
N/A. There are no exceptions to the certification statement for this information collection.
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