03-484. Drawbridge Operation Regulations. Cape Cod Canal, MA

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of temporary deviation from regulations.

SUMMARY:

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the Conrail Railroad Bridge across Cape Cod Canal, mile 0.7, at Bourne, Massachusetts. This temporary deviation will allow the bridge to remain closed at 60 feet above mean high water from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m., on 14 days in January, 2003. From 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on February 3 and 6, 2003, the bridge may remain fully closed. This temporary deviation is necessary to facilitate vital unscheduled mechanical repairs at the bridge.

DATES:

This deviation is effective from January 2, 2003, through February 6, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Materials referred to in this document are available for inspection or copying at the First Coast Guard District, Bridge Branch Office, 408 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is [phone]. The First Coast Guard District Bridge Branch maintains the public docket for this temporary deviation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. John McDonald, Project Officer, First Coast Guard District Bridge Branch, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The vertical clearance under the Conrail Railroad Bridge in the open position is 135 feet at mean high water and 139 feet at mean low water. The draw is normally in the fully open position except for the passage of rail traffic. The existing regulations are listed at 33 CFR 117.589.

The owner of the bridge, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), requested a temporary deviation from the Drawbridge Operation Regulations to facilitate vital unscheduled maintenance, the replacement of the counterweight guide rails, at the bridge. This work must be performed without delay to ensure continued safe reliable operation of the bridge.

The bridge owner advised the mariners who normally use this waterway about the necessary emergency repairs at the bridge and the temporary closures that will be required in order to facilitate the necessary repairs. No objections were received.

Under this temporary deviation the Conrail Railroad Bridge, mile 0.7, across the Cape Cod Canal, may remain closed at 60 feet above mean high water from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on January 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, and 30, 2003. From 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on February 3 and 6, 2003, the bridge may remain fully closed.

Under the deviation schedule listed above, the bridge will be closed three days each week; however, the third day each week and the last week of the closure schedule were added as extra days in case the repair work is delayed by inclement weather.

Mariners may contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Marine Traffic Controller 24-hour telephone line at [phone] for the operational status of the bridge.

Thirty days notice to the Coast Guard for approval of this bridge maintenance was not given by the bridge owner and was not required because this work involves vital, unscheduled maintenance that must be performed without undue delay.

This deviation from the operating regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35, and will be performed with all due speed in order to return the bridge to normal operation as soon as possible.

Dated: December 27, 2002.

J.L. Grenier,

Captain, Coast Guard, Acting Commander, First Coast Guard District.