[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 3, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 26145-26146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09378]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2022-0222]
RIN 1625-AA09


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Okeechobee Waterway, Stuart, FL

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notification of inquiry, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is seeking information and comments on a 
proposed change to the operating regulations for the Florida East Coast 
(FEC) Railroad Bridge, mile 7.4, and the SR 707 (Dixie Hwy) Bridge, 
mile 7.5, across the Okeechobee Waterway (OWW), at Stuart, Florida. In 
anticipation of passenger rail service across the FEC Railroad Bridge, 
the Coast Guard intends to propose a change that will allow the 
drawbridge to operate on a more predictable schedule. The Coast Guard 
intends to propose a similar operating schedule for the adjacent SR 707 
(Dixie Hwy) Bridge. We invite your comments on this proposed 
rulemaking.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or 
before July 5, 2022.

ADDRESSES:  You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2022-0222 using Federal Decision Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the

[[Page 26146]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
call or email Ms. Jennifer Zercher, Bridge Management Specialist, 
Seventh Coast Guard District, telephone 305-415-6740, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Table of Abbreviations

CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DHS Department of Homeland Security
E.O. Executive Order
FR Federal Register
Sec.  Section Symbol
U.S.C. United States Code
FEC Florida East Coast
SR State Route
WAMS Waterways Analysis and Management System
OWW Okeechobee Waterway
HWY Highway

II. Background, Purpose and Purpose

    The FEC Railroad Bridge across the OWW, mile 7.4, at Stuart, 
Florida is a single-leaf bascule railroad bridge with a six-foot 
vertical clearance at mean high water in the closed position. The 
normal operating schedule for the bridge is found in 33 CFR 117.317(c).
    The SR 707 (Dixie Hwy) Bridge across the OWW, mile 7.5, at Stuart, 
Florida is a double-leaf bascule bridge with a 14-foot vertical 
clearance at mean high water in the closed position. The normal 
operating schedule for the bridge is found in 33 CFR 117.317(d). 
Navigation on the waterway is commercial and recreational.
    In response to All Aboard Florida Railway's (Brightline) expansion 
project development and environmental study, U.S. Coast Guard Sector 
Miami Waterways Management Office conducted a Waterways Analysis and 
Management System (WAMS) review of the Intracoastal Waterway from miles 
925-1005 in 2018. The WAMS included a focused review of the railroad 
bridges over the St Lucie River (OWW) and Loxahatchee River. The WAMS 
concluded that, with the addition of passenger rail service, the FEC 
Railroad Bridge over the OWW would create an unreasonable obstruction 
to navigation if operated under the current regulation, 33 CFR 
117.317(c). U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Miami, based on the 
WAMS, recommended the regulation for the railroad bridge be changed to 
allow for reasonable usage of competing modes of transportation and 
provide a predictable opening schedule.

III. Information Requested

    To aid us in further developing a proposed rule, we seek responses 
from waterway users to the following questions:
    (1) Do you currently transit through the FEC Railroad Bridge 
crossing the Okeechobee Waterway, mile 7.4, at Stuart, Florida?
    (2) How often do you transit this waterway?
    (3) If railway traffic impedes your navigation of this area, how 
long are you normally delayed?
    (4) How would you propose to regulate the balance of railway and 
maritime traffic in this area?
    (5) What challenges have you experienced when transiting this area 
due to these bridges and/or railway activity?
    (6) Is a 15 minute hourly opening schedule sufficient for marine 
traffic? If not, please explain why.
    (7) Should the SR 707 (Dixie Hwy) Bridge opening schedule mirror 
the operating schedule of the FEC Railroad Bridge?

IV. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments in response to this notice of 
inquiry through the Federal Decision Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type 
USCG-2022-0222 in the search box and click ``Search.'' Next, look for 
this document in the Search Results column, and click on it. Then click 
on the Comment option. In your submission, please include the docket 
number for this notice of inquiry and provide a reason for each 
suggestion or recommendation. 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.
    To view documents mentioned in this proposed rule as being 
available in the docket, find the docket as described in the previous 
paragraph, and then select ``Supporting & Related Material'' in the 
Document Type column. Public comments will also be placed in our online 
docket and can be viewed by following instructions on the https://www.regulations.gov Frequently Asked Questions web page. We review all 
comments received, but we may choose not to post off-topic, 
inappropriate, or duplicate comments that we receive. 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.
    We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to https://www.regulations.gov 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).
    We may hold a public meeting, if necessary, to receive oral 
comments on this Notice of Inquiry and will announce the date, time, 
and location in a separate document published in the Federal Register. 
If you signed up for docket email alerts mentioned in the paragraph 
above, you will receive an email notice when the public meeting notice 
is published and placed in the docket.
    This document is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 33 
U.S.C. 499.

    Dated: April 22, 2022.
Brendan C. McPherson,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander Coast Guard Seventh District.
[FR Doc. 2022-09378 Filed 5-2-22; 8:45 am]
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