2013-28694. Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Wrightsville Beach, NC

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice of temporary deviation from regulations.

SUMMARY:

The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the S.R. 74 Bridge, across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), mile 283.1, at Wrightsville Beach, NC. This deviation is necessary to accommodate the 2014 Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Full and Half Marathon. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed position during the race.

DATES:

This deviation is effective from 5 a.m. through 10 a.m., Sunday, March 16, 2014.

ADDRESSES:

The docket for this deviation, [USCG-2013-0961] is available at http://www.regulations.gov. Type the docket number in the “SEARCH” box and click “SEARCH.” Click on Open Docket Folder on the line associated with this deviation. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have questions on this temporary deviation, call or email Kashanda Booker, Bridge Administration Branch, Fifth Coast Guard District; telephone [phone], email [e-mail]. If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Barbara Hairston, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Full and Half Marathon committee on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has requested a temporary deviation from the current operating schedule for the S.R. 74 Bascule Drawbridge across the AICW mile 283.1, at Wrightsville Beach, NC. The requested deviation will accommodate the 2014 Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Full and Half Marathon scheduled for Sunday, March 16, 2014. To facilitate this event, the draw of the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position from 5 a.m. until 10 a.m. to allow race participants to cross during the scheduled event.

The current operating schedule for the bridge is set out in 33 CFR 117.821(a)(4). The regulation requires the bridge to open on signal for vessels at all times except that from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. the bridge shall open on the hour; every third and fourth Saturday in September the bridge shall remain closed from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.; and the last Saturday of October or the first or second Saturday of November the bridge shall remain closed from 7 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. The bascule drawbridge has a vertical clearance of 20 feet above mean high water in the closed position. Vessels that can pass through the bridge in the closed position may do so at any time.

Since the race is an annual event, local waterway users should be familiar with the closure. To ensure that waterway users are aware of the closure, the Coast Guard will issue a Local and Broadcast Notice to Mariners to allow mariners to schedule their transits accordingly. There are no alternate routes available to vessels. Most waterway traffic consists of recreational boats with a few barges and tugs during the daytime. The bridge is able to open for emergencies.

In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the drawbridge must return to its regular operating schedule immediately at the end of the designated time period. This deviation from the operating regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35.

Dated: November 15, 2013.

Waverly W. Gregory, Jr.,

Bridge Program Manager, Fifth Coast Guard District.