FEDERAL-AID POLICY GUIDE
December 9, 1991, Transmittal 1
23 CFR 633B
OPI: HEP-12
COORDINATION WITH APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION
Adequate access to and within the Appalachian region is a prerequisite to achievement of the comprehensive economic and social growth contemplated by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, as amended. It is, therefore, essential that construction of the Appalachian Development Highway System and the local access roads authorized by the Act be scheduled for completion at the earliest practicable time, and that work proceed as rapidly as funds are made available by the Congress.
Efficient execution of the highway program requires continuing coordination at all administrative levels of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Department of Transpor tation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the State highway departments.
It is essential that the State representatives of the Commission and other interested agencies inform the State highway departments of the anticipated impact upon highways of nonhighway Appalachian development programs, as they evolve. It is equally vital that State highway departments, as they make location studies and plans for highways in the Appalachian region, make certain that they have up-to-date information on nonhighway Appalachian development programs that may have an impact upon their efforts.
The Commission shall transmit to the Secretary its designations of:
(1) The general corridor location and termini of the development highways;
(2) Local access roads to be constructed;
(3) Priorities for the construction of segments of the development highways; and
(4) Other criteria for the Appalachian highways program.
Before any State member participates in or votes on such designations, he shall have obtained the recommendations of the State highway department of the State which he represents.
The Commission also is responsible for initiating and approving comprehensive program and project plans for the development of the region, and for assuring that highway projects are coordinated with other Appalachian development programs. This makes it desirable for the Commission to have information concerning the location of each development highway within the approved corridors and of each local access road, and to concur in the determination of the centerline of each section of development highway. It likewise is desirable for the Commission to have available to it continuing information on the progress of the highway program and the status of projects.
It is expected that State highway departments, through close and continuing liaison and regular communication with the State representatives of the Commission, will be able to advise the Division Administrator that the detailed loca tion, including the centerline, of each development highway and local access road has been coordinated with and found satisfactory by the State representative of the Commission. This will facilitate prompt action on highway locations at Commission headquarters.
Following completion of location studies and the holding of public hearings where necessary, and upon submission of the detailed location of a highway for the approval of the Division Administrator, the State highway department shallforward to the State representative of the Commission one copy of a map and to Commission headquarters two copies of a map indicating approval by the appropriate State highway official and showing the detailed location of each develop ment highway or appropriate segment thereof, together with relevant supporting information. The State highway depart ment shall forward four copies of the map and one copy of the supporting data to the Division Administrator for ap proval, and shall advise:
(1) That copies are being sent concurrently to the State representative of the Commission and to Commission headquarters, and
(2) That the location has been coordinated with and found satisfactory by the State representative of the Commis sion.
The map shall be portions of U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle sheets (7 ½', or 15' where 7 ½' are not available), or copies thereof. Where quadrangle sheets are not available, portions of county maps, preferably at a scale of 1" = 1 mile, may be substituted. The map shall show the detailed location and project number. To provide a comparison with the corridor location, the map shall also show the alignment of the corridor axis with the limits of the pertinent sections identified by the section numbers as contained in the Appalachian Highway Planning Report submit ted by E. S. Preston and Associates in July 1965. If prefer red, the State may omit showing the corridor axis on the map, but attach a copy of the related corridor map from the Preston report with the detailed project location marked thereon. Where detailed locations depart substantially from the corridor axis as shown in the Preston report, or where the location is in an urban area, the maps should be accom panied by relevant supporting information. Location studies themselves should ordinarily suffice. In certain urban sit uations it may be appropriate to submit supplemental small scale maps that better reflect the impact of particular routings.
Should the Commission be unwilling to concur in a location, the Division Administrator and the State highway department will be notified. If the Division Administrator is not so notified within 10 working days of receipt by the commissionof the maps from the State highway department, he shall assume concurrence by the Commission, and if he finds the location to be acceptable, shall signify his approval on the maps, and send one copy to the State highway department, and single copies to the Regional and Washington offices of the Federal Highway Administration.
Where the Commission does not concur in a location, the State highway department and the State representative of the Commission will attempt to resolve areas of difference, following which the State highway department shall resubmit maps for Commission concurrence and Division Administrator approval, as above.
Upon the determination of the construction centerline of each development highway, or appropriate segment thereof, the State highway department shall, if the centerline dif fers from the line shown on the detailed location map in any significant respect, submit revised detailed location maps and relevant supporting information as provided above.
Should there be differences concerning the centerline that cannot be resolved locally, the State representatives of the Commission shall bring the issue to the attention of Commis sion headquarters, and the State highway department shall advise the Division Administrator, who will report it, through the Regional Federal Highway Administrator, to the Federal Highway Administrator.
In order to keep the Appalachian Regional Commission informed, the State highway department shall furnish the State representative and the Commission information copies of each development highway and local access road program form request to the Federal Highway Administration (without enclosures) and the Division Administrator's action on each request, including all authorizations.
The Federal Highway Administration will provide periodic reports required by the Appalachian Regional Commission concerning the progress of the development highway and local access road programs, and the status of projects. Thefrequency and specific contents of reports will be deter mined in discussions between the Commission and the Federal Highway Administration.