[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 99 (Monday, May 23, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 31182-31183]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10947]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2022-0221]


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Rancocas Creek, Burlington 
County, NJ

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 US Route 543 (Riverside-Delanco) 
Bridge across Rancocas Creek, mile 1.3, at Burlington County, NJ. This 
deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to 
determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. The 
Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public regarding these 
proposed changes.

DATES: This deviation is effective from May 23, 2022 through 7:59 p.m. 
on October 15, 2022. For the purpose of enforcement, actual notice will 
be used from 1 p.m. on May 4, 2022, until May 23, 2022. Comments and 
related material must reach the Coast Guard on or before August 1, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2022-0221 using Federal Decision Making 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 test 
deviation, call or email Mr. Mickey D. Sanders, Fifth Coast Guard 
District (dpb); telephone (757) 398-6587, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis

    The purpose of the deviation is to test the seasonal operating 
regulation of the US Route 543 (Riverside-Delanco) Bridge across 
Rancocas Creek, mile 1.3, at Burlington County, NJ. The US 543 
(Riverside-Delanco) Bridge across Rancocas Creek, mile 1.3, at 
Burlington County, NJ, has a vertical clearance of 4 feet above mean 
high water in the closed-to-navigation position. The bridge currently 
operates under 33 CFR 117.745(b).
    The Burlington County Bridge Commission who owns and operates the 
bridge has requested this change in the operation schedule to reduce 
the number of bridge openings during off-peak hours, while providing 
for the reasonable needs of navigation. The Rancocas Creek is used 
predominately by recreational vessels and pleasure crafts.
    The bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position 
from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday and 
Sunday, and from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., daily, from May 4, 2022, through 
October 15, 2022.
    The three-year, monthly average number of bridge openings from 7 
a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and 
Sunday, and from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., daily, as drawn from the data 
contained in the bridge tender logs, is presented below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Average
            April to October (2018, 2019 and 2020)              monthly
                                                                openings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m...............................          4
Saturday & Sunday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m...........................          2
Daily, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m......................................          7
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    Vessels able to pass through the bridge in the closed-to-navigation 
position may do so at any time. The bridge will be able to open in case 
of an emergency and there is no immediate alternate route for vessels 
to pass. 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 test deviation.
    In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the drawbridge must return to 
normal operation at the end of the effective period of this test 
deviation. This deviation 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.

[[Page 31183]]

    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal Decision 
Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. To do so, go to https://www.regulations.gov, type USCG-2022-0221 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. 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.
    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 will only post comments that address the 
topic of the proposed rule. We may choose not to post off-topic, 
inappropriate, or duplicate comments that we receive.
    We accept anonymous comments. Comments we post to http://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).

    Dated: May 17, 2022.
Hal R. Pitts,
Bridge Program Manager, Fifth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2022-10947 Filed 5-20-22; 8:45 am]
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