Supporting Statement A- APP_10.11.24

Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Application to Participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program

The Supporting Statement A

OMB Control No. 2125-XXXX

Introduction:

This new information collection clearance request is titled “Application to Participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program.” The information collection will be an application form for applying to participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program, which FHWA is required to establish under The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-58 §13010). The program’s intent is to improve transportation planning by measuring the level of access by surface transportation modes to important destinations, disaggregating the level of access by surface transportation mode by a variety of categories (e.g., population or freight commodities), and assessing the change in accessibility that would result from transportation investments.

Part A. Justification.

1. Circumstances that make collection of information necessary:

The proposed information collection will support the fulfillment of a requirement in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-58 §13010). FHWA is required to establish this program and to use an application process for solicit interest in participating in the program. The application will request information necessary to evaluate applications and select pilot program participants.

The Transportation Access Pilot Program supports the USDOT Strategic Plan Goals of Equity and Transformation. The Transportation Access Pilot Program will support State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs) in measuring how transportation investments impact how easily people and freight shippers can access important destinations. FHWA is encouraging applicants to include measures of equitable access in their study approach. APP will also support innovation in transportation access modeling and transportation planning, and will inform the development of potential national accessibility measures that State DOTs, MPOs, and RPOs may choose to adopt.

2. How, by whom, and for what purpose is the information used:

This proposed information collection will be used by FHWA to evaluate applications to participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program and to select pilot program participants.

The application will request that applicants provide information about the following, which are application elements that FHWA is required to consider under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-58 §13010(e)): 1) previous experience of the eligible entity measuring transportation access or other performance management experience, if applicable; 2) the types of important destinations to which the eligible entity intends to measure access; 3) the types of data disaggregation the eligible entity intends to pursue; 4) a general description of the methodology the eligible entity intends to apply; 5) if the applicant does not intend the pilot program to apply to the full area under the jurisdiction of the applicant, a description of the geographic area in which the applicant intends the pilot program to apply; and 6) additional information required to evaluate and make selections for participation in the Transportation Access Pilot Program.

The application form that FHWA will use to collect the information is attached.

3. Extent of automated information collection:

FHWA will require that applications be submitted in electronic format and that applications be submitted via email to an email address dedicated to communications for the Transportation Access Pilot Program.

4. Efforts to identify duplication:

No similar information exists that could be used or modified. The Transportation Access Pilot Program is a new pilot program. Initial interest in the program was solicited via a Letter of Interest process, but there has been no prior application process for the program which allows FHWA to gather information about all application elements required in law.

5. Efforts to minimize the burden on small businesses:

N/A. Eligible applicants for the Transportation Access Pilot Program do not include small businesses. Only State DOTs, MPOs, and RPOs are eligible to apply.

6. Impact of less frequent collection of information:

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-58 §13010) establishes a pilot program of up to eight years from the launch of the program and requires an application process for selecting participants. FHWA’s approach to administering the pilot is to solicit applications annually until the pilot has satisfied the scope of the program envisioned in law. FHWA does not expect that a single round of applications will be sufficient to meet the full scope. Additionally, funding for the program is subject to annual FHWA budgeting processes. As such, FHWA will not be able to meet the statutory requirements of the program with less frequent collection of information.

FHWA is seeking a three-year clearance to collect this information.

Following approval for the initial three-year period, FHWA may seek clearance to continue to collect this information in future years beyond the three-year period, if needed to fulfil its statutory requirements under P.L. 117-58 §13010.

7. Special circumstances:

N/A. There are no special circumstances associated with this information collection request.

8. Compliance with 5 CFR 1320.8:

The 60-day Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on this proposed information collection was published on October, 30, 2023, [88 FR 74227].. No comments were submitted to the docket in response to this notice.

The 30-day Federal Register notice was published on October 11, 2024, [89 FR 82675].

9. Payments or gifts to respondents:

There will be no gifts or payments to respondents to the information collection. Response will be on a voluntary basis only, with no compensation.

Applicants selected to participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program may receive technical assistance and financial assistance acquiring data as part of their participation in the program.

10. Assurance of confidentiality:

FHWA does not have a statutory basis to provide respondents with an assurance of confidentiality for this information collection.

11. Justification for collection of sensitive information:

N/A. The information collection will not request sensitive or private information.

12. Estimate of burden hours for information requested:

FHWA estimates the maximum response to be up to 50 percent of the total universe of potential pilot program participants, which includes 52 State DOTs equivalents, and approximately 420 MPOs and 10 RTPOs. Thus, the estimated maximum response expected per application round is up to 241 individuals.

FHWA estimates applicants will need up to two hours to complete the proposed application, and one hour for a follow-up phone conversation (three hours total per respondent) for a total of 723 hours per application round. FHWA is requesting clearance to conduct three rounds of applications (annually), for a total burden of 2,169 hours over three years.

Assuming a mean hourly wage of $39.33, (from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ median hourly rates for urban and regional planners), plus $11.80 for benefits (30 percent of hourly wage), and a fully-loaded hourly rate of $51.13, the total maximum estimated cost for the burden hours of this information collection is $36,966.99 annually, or $110,900.97 over three years.

13. Estimate of total annual costs to respondents:

FHWA does not estimate any additional costs to respondents beyond the hours burden.

14. Estimate of cost to the Federal government:

The estimated cost to the Federal government for this information collection, at the maximum estimated response rate, is $385,600 per year ($1,156,800 total). This cost is comprised entirely of Federal labor and overhead expenses, including FHWA staff time and the costs of support from the U.S. DOT Volpe Center. This estimate is based on an assumption of a team of five staff ranging from GS-9 to GS-14 (estimated average hourly rate of $160/hr including benefits based on fully-loaded Volpe Center staff rates). This estimate assumes an average of 10 hours per application for tracking and reviewing applications received, conducting follow-up interviews, and preparing recommendations for selections.

If the maximum expected response of 241 applications is received, this would result in a cost of $385,600 per year. These costs will be proportionately lower if the response rate is lower, as is likely. For example, if 100 applications were received, the estimated costs to the government would be $160,000. If 50 applications were received, the estimated costs would be $80,000.

15. Explanation of program changes or adjustments:

This is a new collection, there is no burden increase.

16. Publication of results of data collection:

FHWA does not intend to publish the results of this data collection (the application to participate in the Transportation Access Pilot Program).

However, FHWA will publish information about Transportation Access Pilot Program participants, after they are selected.

17. Approval for not displaying the expiration date of OMB approval:

N/A. FHWA does not have any objection to publishing the expiration date of the OMB approval.

18. Exceptions to certification statement:

N/A. None.