[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 126 (Tuesday, July 6, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 35402-35403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14184]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2021-0336]


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Fox River, Oshkosh, WI

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 Main Street Bridge, mile 55.97, the 
Jackson Street Bridge, mile 56.22, the Wisconsin Street Bridge, mile 
56.72, the Congress Avenue Bridge, mile 58.01, all over the Fox River 
at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This deviation will test the remote operations 
at each bridge with a drawtender in attendance to supervise each remote 
opening. The Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public regarding 
these proposed changes.

DATES: This deviation is effective from midnight on June 30, 2021, 
through midnight on October 7, 2021. Comments and relate material must 
reach the Coast Guard on or before November 1, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2021-0336 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.

[[Page 35403]]

    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 test 
deviation, call or email: Mr. Lee D. Soule, Bridge Management 
Specialist, Ninth Coast Guard District; telephone 216-902-6085, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This portion of the Fox River at Oshkosh 
flows from Lake Butte Des Mortts to Lake Winnebago, passing through 
five bridges. The first four bridges are highway bridges: Main Street 
Bridge, mile 55.97, the Jackson Street Bridge, mile 56.22, the 
Wisconsin Street Bridge, mile 56.72, the Congress Avenue Bridge, mile 
58.01, and the fifth bridge is a single leaf bascule bridge that has 
been operating remotely successfully for over one year. Because of the 
success at the railroad bridge, we are considering allowing the other 
four bridges to operate remotely. During the summer, one hundred 
recreational vessels pass through these bridges on a daily average.

I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis

    The Main Street Bridge, mile 55.97, provides a horizontal clearance 
of 89 feet and a vertical clearance 11 feet in the closed position, the 
Jackson Street Bridge, mile 56.22, provides a horizontal clearance of 
97 feet and a vertical clearance 11 feet in the closed position, the 
Wisconsin Street Bridge, mile 56.72, provides a horizontal clearance of 
75 feet and a vertical clearance 12 feet in the closed position, and 
the Congress Avenue Bridge, mile 58.01, provides a horizontal clearance 
of 75 feet and a vertical clearance 13 feet in the closed position. All 
of these bridges are over the Fox River and provide an unlimited 
clearance in the open position, and are governed by the regulations 
found in 33 CFR 117.1087.
    The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has requested to test 
the capabilities of the remote operating system with live operators in 
the bridges and allow the public to comment on the bridge operations 
before any changes are made.
    This deviation will not change the operation of the bridges. The 
Wisconsin Department of Transportation will provide weekly bridge 
opening data and approximate vehicle and pedestrian crossings at the 
end of the test deviation. Each bridge will have the ability to 
communicate by visual or audio means including enough cameras to see 
above and below the bridge, including night vision cameras to monitor 
approaching river traffic in adverse weather conditions.
    The Coast Guard will also inform the users of the waterways through 
our Local Notice to Mariners when the comment period opens and how to 
leave comments.

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 https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using https://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 https://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and 
submissions in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System 
of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
    Documents mentioned in this NPRM as being available in this docket 
and all public comments, will be in our online docket at https://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.

M.J. Johnston,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, Ninth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2021-14184 Filed 7-2-21; 8:45 am]
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