Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information

Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information

Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR

describes the nature of the information collection and its expected

burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period

soliciting comments on the following information collection was

published on November 5, 1998 [63 FR 59837].

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 14, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nelda Bravo, LTAP Program Manager,

(202) 366-9633, Federal Highway Administration, Department of

Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office

hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday,

except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Local Technical Assistance Program Extent of Coverage

Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection.

[[Page 18473]]

Affected Public: Employees of local and tribal government

transportation providers.

Abstract: The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) provides

for training, technology transfer and technical assistance to local and

tribal government transportation providers. This information collection

will be in the form of a survey that will document the extent of

coverage of the LTAP and provide a baseline from which to measure the

Program's progress in expanding that coverage between now and the year

2002. The LTAP has established a network of 57 technology transfer

centers at universities and state departments of transportation for the

purpose of improving the skills and knowledge of local and tribal

transportation providers through training, technical assistance and

technology transfer. The LTAP Strategic Plan, adopted in 1997, calls

for increasing usage of the program to 75 percent of local and tribal

governments by the year 2002. Information is needed to document the

extent to which local and tribal transportation agencies recognize,

utilize, and are satisfied with the services provided by their LTAP

Centers. The information will establish the baseline from which

progress towards the goal of increasing coverage to 75 percent of all

local and tribal transportation agencies will be measured.

The information will be collected through a mail survey.

Respondents will be asked to complete a brief, standardized

questionnaire asking if employees of their agency are aware of the

existence of their local or tribal LTAP Center, have read its

newsletter, attended training sessions or utilized other technology

transfer services provided by the Center within the past year, and

their satisfaction with those services. Information will be collected

from a simple random sample of 6,500 respondents from local and tribal

governments in the U.S.

The results of the survey will be retained by the Federal Highway

Administration for comparison with the results of a subsequent

collection in the year 2002. The results of the survey will also be

presented in a report for dissemination to LTAP partners, including

national associations, state departments of transportation, LTAP

centers, and local and tribal governments.

Estimated Burden: 20 minutes, per respondent, to read and respond

to the mail survey. 367 total estimated annual burden hours.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, within 30 days, to the Office of Information

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: DOT Desk Officer.

Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the Department, including whether the information will have practical

utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the

proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility

and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize

the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including

the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30

days of publication of this Notice.

Issued on: April 9, 1999.

Michael J. Vecchietti,

Director, Office of Information and Management Services.

[FR Doc. 99-9304 Filed 4-13-99; 8:45 am]

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