Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Belle River, LA
| Published date | 16 April 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 15511 |
| Record Number | 2019-07519 |
| Section | Rules and Regulations |
| Court | Coast Guard |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 73 (Tuesday, April 16, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 73 (Tuesday, April 16, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15511-15512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07519]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
33 CFR Part 117
[Docket No. USCG-2018-0955]
RIN 1625-AA09
Drawbridge Operation Regulations; Belle River, LA
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 70 (SR 70), pontoon
bridge across the Belle River mile 23.8, near Pierre Part, Assumption
Parish, Louisiana. This temporary deviation is needed to collect and
analyze information on vehicle traffic congestion on SR 70 created when
the drawbridge opens to vessel traffic and the impact to the reasonable
needs of navigation when the bridge closes to vessels during periods of
high vehicle traffic. During this temporary deviation the drawbridge
will remain closed to navigation.
DATES: This deviation is effective from 6 a.m. on May 17, 2019 to 6
a.m. on August 30, 2019. Comments and related material must be received
by the Coast Guard on or before September 23, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2018-0955 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:
I. Table of Abbreviations
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DHS Department of Homeland Security
FR Federal Register
LA DOTD Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
SR State Route
Sec. Section
U.S.C. United States Code
II. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis
LA DOTD has requested to change the operating requirements for the
SR 70 pontoon bridge across the Belle River mile 23.8, near Pierre
Part, Assumption Parish, Louisiana. This bridge currently opens on
signal, except that from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the draw shall open on
signal if at least four hour notice is given according to 33 CFR
117.424.
LA DOTD requested changing this bridge operating schedule because
vehicle traffic has become congested during June, July, and August.
This waterway is heavily used by recreational vessels during the summer
months.
LA DOTD conducted a field study that showed that about 80 cars were
delayed approximately 15 minutes each time the bridge opened to vessel
traffic and that the bridge sometimes opened as many as 4 times per
hour. To alleviate this congestion LA DOTD has requested to open the
bridge to vessel traffic on the hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
This 105-day temporary deviation to the regulations will allow LA
DOTD 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 proposed regulation change
on vessels.
This bridge has a vertical clearance of zero feet in the closed to
vessel traffic position and unlimited vertical clearance in the open to
vessel traffic position. In June, July, and August 2017 the bridge
opened for vessels 374 times. During this temporary deviation the
bridge will operate as follows:
From 6 a.m. on June 1, 2019 through 6 p.m. on August 31, 2019 the
draw of the SR 70 pontoon bridge across the Belle River mile 23.8, near
Pierre Part, Assumption Parish, Louisiana shall open on signal on the
hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and that from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the draw
shall open on signal if at least four hour notice is given. The bridge
will open on signal for emergencies.
The Coast Guard will inform the users of this waterway through
Local and Broadcast Notice to Mariners of the
[[Page 15512]]
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.
III. 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 temporary rule change, 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: April 10, 2019.
Douglas A. Blakemore,
Bridge Administrator, Eighth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2019-07519 Filed 4-15-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P
