1. PURPOSE. To issue revised pages to the FHWA Delegations and Organization Manual.

2. EXPLANATION OF CHANGES. The delegation changes listed below:

   1. Implement recommendations made in the FHWA Organization Structure Evaluation Task Force Report - Phase I, A Streamlined Field Organization, dated September 22, 1997, pertaining to the redelegation to the Division Administrators and State Directors of most of the remaining approval authorities retained in the regional offices. Except for Chapter 5, subparagraph 18a (Allocation of Beautification Funds), the existing chain of delegation, i.e., from the Administrator to the Regional Administrators to the DAs (Federal-aid) and to the Associate Administrator for Motor Carriers to the Director of Motor Carrier Field Operations to the Regional Directors to the State Directors, is being maintained at this time pending the formal establishment of resource centers. This change, as it pertains to the restructuring delegations, is an interim issuance; the affected chapters will be reissued in their entirety as part of the implementation/transition plan that results from the efforts of the Phase II Task Force. Summaries of the changes made in Part I (Delegations of Authority), Chapter 4 (Administrative), Chapter 5 (Federal-aid),and Chapter 7 (Motor Carriers), that pertain to the restructuring delegations are shown in the attached tables. Other Manual changes are described below.

   2. Revises Chapter 4, paragraph 3, to remove the restriction on further delegation of authority to approve advance sick leave or restore annual leave. (Note: This is in addition to the redelegation to Division Administrators and Motor Carrier State Directors recommended by the Task Force and described in the attached Tables.)

   3. Revises Chapter 4, paragraph 8, to require that suggestions with potential applicability beyond the reviewer's organization be referred to the appropriate organization level for further review. (Note: This is in addition to the redelegation to Division Administrators and Motor Carrier State Directors recommended by the Task Force and described in the attached Tables.)

   4. Revises Chapter 5, paragraph 41 (Emergency Relief Projects), to add the phrase "including the provisions for redelegation."

   5. Deletes Chapter 5, paragraph 68 (Hawaii Interstate H-3 Construction Approval), as its provisions are obsolete.

   6. Revises Chapter 5, paragraph 73, relative to the approval of participation in costs incurred prior to authorization.

   7. Revises Chapter 7, paragraph 2, to include the authority to issue administrative interpretations pertaining to certain former Interstate Commerce Commission functions as well as other safety functions.

   8. Minor technical and grammatical revisions, such as previously approved organization titles, and updated citations, are also included in this change and are reflected by a change line in the Manual text, but are not listed here.

/s/
Kenneth R. Wykle
Federal Highway Administrator