The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hasproposeda regulation that it says will give state departments of transportation more flexibility in setting design standards for resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation (RRR) projects on existing Interstate highways and other key arteries.
提案，于11月24日在联邦公报上发布，将纳入最新的设计标准 - 近年来美国州公路和运输官员（AASHTO）发行的设计标准，并删除基准的较旧版本。
FHWA says in its proposal: “These proposed design standards provide a range of acceptable values for highway features, allowing for flexibility that best suits the desires of the community while satisfying the purpose for the project and needs of its users.”
The proposal wouldn’t apply to maintenance resurfacing, FHWA notes.
FHWA设定了12月24日的紧迫截止日期，以收到有关其提案的评论。
在审查了文件后，该机构将在认为有必要的提案中进行任何更改。然后将发出最终规则，并对要指定的日期生效。
FHWA Administrator Nicole R. Nason said in a statement that the agency "proposes to provide regulatory relief to states to address the immediate repair needs of our nation's roadways without compromising safety and efficiency."
At present, state DOTs planning RRR projects must meet the current, older benchmarks for new construction unless the agency approves a design exception.
The new regulation would allow states to follow the updated AASHTO and other standards without the need for an FHWA exception.
It would apply to resurfacing and other rehab project on the National Highway System. The NHS includes the Interstates plus major federally funded arterials, such as routes whose names start with “U.S.”As of 2014, the NHS included 226,767 miles。
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association is reviewing the new proposal and plans to file comments on it, an ARTBA spokesman says.
AASHTO工程经理Patricia Bush在12月2日的电子邮件中说：“这似乎是NHS设计标准的标准更新，通常我们会支持。”
布什补充说：“我们正在与会员部门进行细节，并将相应地向案卷提交评论。”
Jay Hansen, the National Asphalt Pavement Association's executive vice president for advocacy, said via email on Nov. 25, that in FHWA's proposal, the agency appeared to be "cleaning up" some parts of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Story updated on Dec. 2 with comments from AASHTO and an update from NAPA.
