[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 27 (Friday, February 8, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2735-2736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01549]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 117
[Docket No. USCG-2018-0952]
RIN 1625-AA09
Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Industrial Seaway Canal, MS
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation from regulations; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is issuing a temporary deviation to the
operating schedule that regulates the State Route 605 (SR 605), Wilkes
Road bascule bridge across the Industrial Seaway Canal, mile 11.3 at
Hansboro, Harrison County, Mississippi. This deviation is needed to
collect and analyze information on vehicle traffic congestion on SR 605
created when the drawbridge opens to vessel traffic. This deviation
allows the bridge to remain closed to navigation. The Coast Guard is
seeking comments from the public about the impact to both vehicle and
vessel traffic generated by this change.
DATES: This deviation is effective from 6 a.m. February 8, 2019 through
6 p.m. June 10, 2019.
Comments and related material must be received by the Coast Guard
on or before June 10, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2018-0952 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. See the ``Public Participation and Request for
Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further
instructions on submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this
rulemaking, call or email Mr. Doug Blakemore, Eighth Coast Guard
District Bridge Administrator; telephone (504) 671-2128, email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Abbreviations
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register
MDOT Mississippi Department of Transportation
NPRM Notice of proposed rulemaking
SR State Route
Sec. Section
I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis
MDOT has requested to change the operating requirements for the SR
605 bascule bridge across the Industrial Seaway Canal, mile 11.3, at
Hansboro, Harrison County, Mississippi. This bridge currently opens on
signal according to 33 CFR 117.5. MDOT provided the Coast Guard with a
vehicle traffic study that concluded that vehicle traffic becomes very
congested on SR 605 during morning and afternoon rush hours and that
bridge openings for vessels add to the congestion. MDOT informed the
Coast Guard that this traffic congestion backs up from the bridge to
the I-10 highway which creates unsafe queues on I-10 and SR 605. This
MDOT study and analysis is provided in the docket to this temporary
rule.
The 120 day temporary deviation to the regulation will allow MDOT
to collect additional vehicle traffic data to measure the impact of
bridge closures on traffic congestion. It will also allow the Coast
Guard to collect data on the impact of the temporary regulation change
on vessels.
This bridge has a vertical clearance of 37.1 feet above mean high
water in the closed to vessel position and unlimited vertical clearance
in the open to vessel traffic position. From January through December
2017 the bridge opened for vessel traffic 236 times. During this
temporary deviation the bridge will operate as follows:
The draw of the SR 605 bascule bridge across the Industrial Seaway
Canal, mile 4.5, Hansboro, Harrison County, Mississippi shall open on
signal; except the draw need not open 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to
6 p.m. Monday through Friday except federal holidays. The bridge will
open on signal for emergencies.
The Coast Guard will also inform the users of the waterways through
our Local and Broadcast Notices to Mariners of the change in operating
schedule for the bridge so that vessel operators can arrange their
transits to minimize any impact caused by the temporary deviation.
In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the drawbridge must return to
its regular operating schedule immediately at the
[[Page 2736]]
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
Public participation is essential to effective rulemaking. The
Coast Guard will consider all comments and material received during the
comment period. 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 notification, and all public comments,
are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be
viewed by following that website'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: January 31, 2019.
Douglas Allen Blakemore, Sr.,
Bridge Administrator, Eighth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2019-01549 Filed 2-7-19; 8:45 am]
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