E9-13369. Drawbridge Operation Regulations; New Haven Harbor, Quinnipiac and Mill Rivers, CT, Test Schedule Change

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice of temporary deviation from regulations; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Commander, First Coast Guard District, has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operation of three bridges; the Ferry Street Bridge and the Grand Avenue Bridge across the Quinnipiac River, and the Chapel Street Bridge across the Mill River, all at New Haven, Connecticut. This deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed.

DATES:

This deviation is effective from May 1, 2009 through October 26, 2009. Comments must reach the Coast Guard on or before November 15, 2009.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-2009-0286 using any one of the following methods:

(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

(2) Fax: [phone].

(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building ground floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

(4) Hand Delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have questions on this proposed rule, call Ms. Judy Leung-Yee, Project Officer, First Coast Guard District, telephone [phone]. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

We encourage you to participate in this rulemaking by submitting comments and related material. All comments received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have provided.

Submitting Comments

If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this rulemaking (USCG-2009-0286), indicate the specific section of this document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and materials online (http://www.regulations.gov), or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online via http://www.regulations.gov,, it will be considered received by the Coast Guard when you successfully transmit the comment. If you fax, hand deliver, or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when it is received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you include your name and a mailing address, an e-mail address, or a phone number in the body of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission.

To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, select the Advanced Docket Search option on the right side of the screen, insert “USCG-2009-0286” in the Docket ID box, press Enter, and then click on the balloon shape in the Actions column. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 81/2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during the comment period and may change the rule based on your comments.

Viewing Comments and Documents

To view comments, as well as documents mentioned in this preamble as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov, select the Advanced Docket Search option on the right side of the screen, insert USCG-2009-0286 in the Docket ID box, press Enter, and then click on the item in the Docket ID column. You may also visit either 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 20590-0001, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management Facility.

Privacy Act

Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment), if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act, system of records notice regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008 issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Public Meeting

We do not now plan to hold a public meeting. But you may submit a request for one to the Docket Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES explaining why one would be beneficial. If we determine that one would aid this rulemaking, we will hold one at a time and place announced by a later notice in the Federal Register.

Background and Purpose

The Ferry Street Bridge at mile 0.7, across the Quinnipiac River, has a vertical clearance in the closed position of 25 feet at mean high water and 31 feet at mean low water. The Grand Avenue Bridge at mile 1.3, across the Quinnipiac River, has a vertical clearance in the closed position of 9 feet at mean high water and 15 feet at mean low water. The Chapel Street Bridge at mile 0.4, across the Mill River, has a vertical clearance of 7 feet at mean high water and 13 feet at mean low water. The existing drawbridge operation regulations are listed at 33 CFR 117.213.

The City of New Haven, the owner of the bridges, requested a change to the drawbridge operation regulations for the Ferry Street Bridge across Quinnipiac River at mile 0.7, the Grand Avenue Bridge across the Quinnipiac River at mile 1.3, and the Chapel Street Bridge at mile 0.4, across the Mill River, all at New Haven, Connecticut.

During the past four years the Ferry Street Bridge has undergone a major rehabilitation. During the rehabilitation project the movable spans were removed or left in the open position at various times allowing navigation to pass at all times.

Now that the Ferry Street Bridge is fully operational again, the bridge owner would like to test an alternate drawbridge operation schedule for all its bridges, the Ferry Street Bridge, the Grand Avenue Bridge and the Chapel Street Bridge, to help reduce the burden of crewing these bridges during time periods when there have been few requests to open.

The waterway users are seasonal recreational craft, commercial fishing, and construction vessels.

The existing drawbridge operation regulation listed at 33 CFR 117.213, authorizes a roving crew concept that requires the draw of the Ferry Street Bridge to open on signal from October 1 through April 30, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless the draw tender is at the Grand Ave. or Chapel Street bridges, in which case, a delay of up to one hour in opening is permitted.

The bridge owner would like to extend the above roving crew concept to be in effect year round.

As a result of all of the above information, the Coast Guard has decided to implement a temporary test deviation to test the requested change to the drawbridge operation regulations.

The public is invited to comment regarding the effectiveness of this temporary test deviation. The Coast Guard will consider all comments received within the comment period before determining whether this proposed rule change should become either a permanent change to the rules, be revised or modified further, or if the existing regulations should remain unchanged.

Under this temporary test deviation, in effect from May 1, 2009 through October 26, 2009, the Ferry Street Bridge, the Grand Avenue Bridge, and the Chapel Street Bridge shall operate as follows:

The Ferry Street Bridge across Quinnipiac River at mile 0.7, shall open on signal for all marine traffic; except that, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., weekdays except Federal holidays, the draw need not be opened for the passage of vessel traffic. From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., the draw shall open on signal if at least a one hour advance notice is given to the draw tender at the Chapel Street Bridge by calling [phone].

The Grand Avenue Bridge across Quinnipiac River at mile 1.3, shall open on signal for all marine traffic; except that, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., weekdays except Federal holidays, the draw need not be opened for the passage of vessel traffic. From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the draw shall open on signal if at least a one hour advance notice is given to the draw tender at the Chapel Street Bridge by calling [phone].

The Chapel Street Bridge across the Mill River at mile 0.4, shall open on signal for all marine traffic; except that, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., weekdays except Federal holidays, the draw need not be opened for the passage of vessel traffic. From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the draw shall open on signal if at least a one hour advance notice is given to the draw tender by calling [phone].

In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the bridge 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: April 27, 2009.

Gary Kassof,

Bridge Program Manager, First Coast Guard District.