What is the difference between an exempt and nonexempt project?
The FHWA has defined and approved certain standards for the National Highway System (NHS) and non-NHS projects. The exempt and nonexempt threshold (dollar amount of the project) and oversight varies according to the FHWA Division Office and the STA’s stewardship agreement such as approval of plans, specifications, and estimates (P, S and Es), FHWA involvement in project inspections and design activities, and concurrence in award and construction activities. However the terms “exempt and non- exempt” are not used anymore and FHWA has provided guidance on this issue. The following excerpt comes from the FHWA Stewardship Policy Question and Answer Paper: QUESTION: The FHWA restated policy on stewardship and oversight does not use the term “exempt”. Why not? ANSWER: After the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, FHWA introduced the term “exempt” to refer to projects for which FHWA was not going to be involved in project level review and oversight. The term was s
