Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Beaufort, SC
| Published date | 20 March 2024 |
| Record Number | 2024-05930 |
| Citation | 89 FR 19731 |
| Court | Coast Guard,Homeland Security Department |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 55 (Wednesday, March 20, 2024)
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 20, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 19731-19732]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05930]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 117
[Docket No. USCG-2024-0198]
Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway,
Beaufort, SC
AGENCY: Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (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 Lady's Island (Woods Memorial)
Bridge across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) (Beaufort
River), mile 536.0, at Beaufort, SC. South Carolina Department of
Transportation (SCDOT) has requested the Coast Guard consider changing
the operating schedule to remove the seasonal operating schedule
aligning with other drawbridges along the AICW in SC. 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 this deviation.
DATES: This deviation is effective from 12:01 a.m. on March 25, 2024,
through 11:59 p.m. on September 29, 2024.
Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or
before May 20, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2024-0198 using Federal Decision Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
[[Page 19732]]
below for instructions on submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this test
deviation, call or email Ms. Jennifer Zercher, Bridge Management
Specialist, Seventh Coast Guard District; telephone 571-607-5951, email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis
Lady's Island (Woods Memorial) Bridge across the Atlantic
Intracoastal Waterway (AICW) (Beaufort River), mile 536.0, at Beaufort,
SC, is a swing bridge with a 30-foot vertical clearance at mean high
water in the closed position. The normal operating schedule for the
bridge is found in 33 CFR 117.911(f).
The Coast Guard received a request from SCDOT to consider changing
the operating schedule for the Lady's Island (Woods Memorial) Bridge
removing the seasonal operating schedule which would align with other
drawbridges along the AICW in SC. This temporary deviation will test a
change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine if the
reasonable needs of navigation are maintained and whether a permanent
change to the schedule is needed.
Under this temporary deviation, the Lady's Island (Woods Memorial)
Bridge shall open on signal; except that the draw need not open from 6
a.m. to 9:29 a.m. and 3:31 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. Between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays, the draw need open only once
an hour on the half hour. Public vessels of the United States and tugs
with tows, upon proper signal, will be passed through any time. Vessels
able to pass without an opening may do so at any time.
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 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.
Submitting comments. 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-2024-0198 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 https://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions.
View material in the docket. To view documents mentioned in this
deviation 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. Also, 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 of any posting or updates to the docket.
We review all comments received, but we will only post comments
that address the topic of this deviation. We may choose not to post
off-topic, inappropriate, or duplicate comments that we receive.
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).
Dated: March 14, 2024.
Randall D. Overton,
Director, Bridge Administration, Seventh Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2024-05930 Filed 3-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
