[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42506-42507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15439]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2016-0280]


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Chambers Creek, Steilacoom, WA

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation from regulations; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the 
operating schedule that governs the Chambers Creek Burlington Northern 
Santa Fe railroad vertical lift railroad bridge across Chambers Creek, 
mile 0.01, near

[[Page 42507]]

Steilacoom in Pierce County, WA. This deviation will test a change to 
the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent 
change to the schedule is appropriate. This test deviation will modify 
the existing regulation to add an advance notification requirement for 
obtaining bridge openings during designated evening hours.

DATES: This deviation is effective from 12:01 on July 1, 2016 to 12:01 
on December 27, 2016.
    Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or 
before November 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2016-0280 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this 
temporary deviation, call or email Mr. Steven Fischer, Bridge 
Administrator, Thirteenth Coast Guard District; telephone 206-220-7282, 
email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis

    The Chambers Creek Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad vertical 
lift railroad bridge across Chambers Creek, mile 0.01, near Steilacoom 
in Pierce County, WA has a vertical clearance of 10ft in the closed to 
navigation position and 50ft of vertical clearance in the open to 
navigation position (reference plane is MHW elevation of 12.2 feet). 
The bridge currently operates under 33 CFR 117.5; which requires the 
bridge to open anytime when a request or signal to open is given.
    The bridge owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, has 
observed minimal to no usage of the drawbridge between 10 p.m. and 6 
a.m. and has requested to test this schedule to see if it better 
balances the needs of marine and rail traffic. The following facts 
support BNSF's proposal: (1) Over the last 6 years only 2% of the 
subject bridge lifts have occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 
a.m., which equates to approximately 5 openings a year, (2) from 
February 2009 to June 2015 there were 1932 total openings of which only 
40 occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and (3) the 
navigation traffic consists primarily of the tenants of Chambers Bay 
marina (recreational users) that are members of the Chambers Bay 
Boating Association.
    The Coast Guard is publishing this temporary deviation to test the 
proposed schedule change to determine whether a permanent change to the 
schedule is appropriate to better balance the needs of marine and rail 
traffic.
    Under this temporary deviation, in effect from 12:01 on July 1, 
2016 to 12:01 December 27, 2016, the subject bridge shall open on 
signal, except from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the draw shall open on signal if 
at least 4 hours notice is given. The bridge will be required to open 
as soon a possible, no later than 1 hour after notification, for 
vessels engaged in emergency response.
    The Coast Guard will inform the users of the waterways of this 
temporary deviation through our Local and Broadcast Notices to Mariners 
and through direct outreach with the Chambers Creek Boating Association 
so that vessel operators can arrange their transits to minimize any 
impact caused by the temporary deviation. Vessels able to pass 
underneath the bridge in the closed position may do so at anytime.
    In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the drawbridge must return to 
its regular operating schedule immediately at the end of the effective 
period of this temporary deviation. This deviation from the operating 
regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35.

II. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We view public participation as essential to effective rulemaking, 
and will consider all comments and material received during the comment 
period. Your comment can help shape the outcome of this rulemaking. If 
you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation.
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal 
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal 
Register (70 FR 15086).
    Documents mentioned in this notice of temporary deviation, and all 
public comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov 
and can be viewed by following that Web site's instructions. 
Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up for email 
alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or a final rule 
is published.

    Dated: June 23, 2016.
Steven M. Fischer,
Bridge Administrator, Thirteenth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2016-15439 Filed 6-29-16; 8:45 am]
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