[Federal Register: December 4, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 233)]
[Notices]
[Page 75771-75816]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04de00-140]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Transportation of Hazardous Materials; Designated, Preferred, and Restricted Routes

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides the current listing of all restricted, designated, and preferred road and highway routes for transporting radioactive (RAM) and non-radioactive hazardous materials (NRHM) that have been reported to the FMCSA by State and Indian Tribe routing agencies as of November 14, 2000. This listing has been extracted from the National Hazardous Material Route Registry (NHMRR). The information contained in this notice supersedes that published at 63 FR 31549 on June 9, 1998. The periodic updating and publishing of this listing is required by the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 1975 (HMTA), as amended (49 U.S.C. 5112). Also, the FMCSA's regulations include Federal standards and procedures which the States and Indian Tribes must follow if they establish, maintain, or enforce routing designations that: (1) Specify highway routes over which NRHM or RAM may, or may not, be transported within their jurisdictions; and/or (2) impose limitations or requirements with respect to highway routing of NRHM or RAM. States and Indian Tribes are also required to furnish updated route information to the FMCSA within 60 days of establishing or changing a route.

[[Page 75772]]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Swedberg, (303) 969-5772, ext. 363, FMCSA, 555 Zang St., Room 400, Lakewood, CO 80228-1010; or Mr. Joseph Solomey, Office of the Chief Counsel, (HCC-20), (202) 366- 0384, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access

An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded by using a computer, modem and suitable communications software from the Government Printing Office's Electronic Bulletin Board Service at (202)512-1661. Internet users may reach the Federal Register's home page at: http://www.nara.gov/fedreg and the Government Printing Office's web site at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara. To find the most up-to-date listing of hazmat routes, you may access the National Hazardous Material Route Registry (NHMRR) directly at: http://hazmat.fmcsa.dot.gov/ . This site is considered the source of this information and will display hazmat route listings and maps which will reflect any changes that have been made since the publication of this notice.

Background

Section 5112(c) of title 49, United States Code, requires the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary), in coordination with the States and Indian Tribes, to update and publish periodically a list of current effective hazardous materials highway routing designations and restrictions. For NRHM routing designations or restrictions, 49 CFR 397.73(b) requires each State or Indian Tribe to furnish information on any new or changed routes to the FMCSA within 60 days after establishment. For RAM preferred routing, 49 CFR 397.103(c)(1) requires the authorized routing agency to provide the FMCSA with written notification in order for the route to become effective. Updates should be sent to: Mr. Richard Swedberg, FMCSA, 555 Zang St., Room 400, Lakewood, CO 80228-1010.

This notice is being published to provide the public with the FMCSA's current list of State-assigned hazardous materials (HM or hazmat) routes (alphabetically by State) along with the State and Federal points of contact. For each routing agency, the route listing may be divided into three main categories as follows: (1) Restricted Routes for ALL Hazmats, (2) Radioactive Routes, (3) and Non-Radioactive Hazmat Routes. Within the RAM and NRHM categories, the list will further be divided into restricted and designated/preferred routes. Note that "preferred routes" (49 CFR 397.103) are routes which must be utilized for shipments of "highway route controlled quantity" (HRCQ) of radioactive materials. If there are no routes to be reported under any of these categories or subcategories, the category will not appear in the route listing.

Each route will be identified with one or more restriction or designation codes which will follow the route description. Restriction codes identify which materials may not be transported along the given route, while designation codes indicate which materials the routing authority has determined must be shipped along the route. These codes can be deciphered using the Restriction/Designation key which precedes the route listing. Note that the restriction code "0" indicates that ALL hazmats, both RAM and NRHM, are restricted for the indicated route. These routes will be listed under the main category "Restricted Routes for ALL Hazmats" for that State. Because of this, you may need to look in two sections to find routes that are restricted for either RAM or NRHM. For example, to find all restricted RAM routes, first look under the "Restricted Routes for ALL Hazmats" and then look under the "RAM Restricted" section, which lists routes in which RAM alone is restricted.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 5112; and 49 CFR 1.73.

Issued on: November 28, 2000.
Julie Anna Crillo,
Acting Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-30815 Filed 12-1-00; 8:45 am]

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