Christine Zirpoli

From: sender@coastguard.org Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 12:58 PM To: HamptonRoadsPublicInfo@VDOT.Virginia.gov Subject: Coast Guard responses on Berkley Bridge Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged Comment on Berkley Bridge Comment I have been commuting to the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth from Virginia Beach for 10 years. This is the first time that I have been able to manage my commute, and it makes a huge difference. I have been previously held up for a bridge lifts (during rush hour) and just after the bridge went down there was another lift! No kidding! Once the bridge goes down there is horrendous traffic trying to merge every which way, cars have overheated, ran out of gas etc. The bridge lift is a catalyst for other traffic problems. If they can be scheduled (even if it is more frequently) at least I know to go around. In the past, I can only go around if I aware of the lift before I get to the Campostella exit. If the bridge goes up after I pass exit that I am stuck to wait it out. The other people it affects is our patients. Many times they are held up by lifts and that makes them late for appointments. When they run late they are upset, flustered and in some cases may end up having to be rescheduled. It would be helpful to them as well to have scheduled lifts to help them plan their trip to Portsmouth to allow enough time for a lift. My husband is the licensed Captain of our 60' Sports Fisherman vessel. We have traveled the intercoastal waterway and know the schedule of the various bridges and lockes. As boaters know we have to wait for a lift. It is not easy to keep a vessel at idle but we do it. The maritime traffic can also plan their day around scheduled bridge lifts. This is one traffic improvement that costs very few dollars if any. With this economic crunch and the fact that road money quickly disappears it seems like a cost effective way to improve the traffic congestion. I support scheduled weekday Berkley Bridge openings. yes I enjoy being able to plan my weekday travel trips around scheduled Berkley Bridge openings and find that it saves me time and money. yes I would find it unpredictable and inconvenient if an additional ten minutes was added to my wait time during a scheduled bridge lift to keep the bridge open longer for an approaching water vessel. no I would like to see scheduled bridge lifts continue past the Notice of Temporary Deviation from Regulations (Public Notice 5-1158) which expires March 9, 2010. yes I would like to submit my comments to the Coast Guard in support of both the Temporary Deviation and the Notice of Proposed Modifications (Public Notice 5-1157) that would allow for scheduled bridge lifts through October 5, 2012.yes NAME (optional): Christine Zirpoli City (optional): virginia beach