William A. Swope

My personal comments-I spent the whole construction period of the new bridge wondering when it would be open for use. I used my marine VHF radio but never got a response from Bayou Liberty. I could have been using the bridge but did not know that was possible. I have been in the Coast Guard Auxiliary for over 15 years but I am no more in touch with the public education of bridge status than my neighbors. It was just by chance that I found out about this docket. A subsequent internet search revealed no new information, just the USCG docket. I still do not know what plans are for pulling the tender for a period. A Times Picayune newspaper article printed that is was slated for 24 hour permanent coverage. Aside from not using the water for recreation during the winter, the water level is worth noting. The north winds we get in winter lower the water levels. There were boats that went through with me that could barely get under the bridge because of their superstructures but could not during higher water levels like we see in the more active warmer seasons. Returning through the bridge is always an unknown from a timing standpoint and I don’t know how you can plan around that unless a tender stays for the duration once passing out seaward. Changes in the weather can be a reason to return back up through the bridge so safety needs to be a consideration. My overall comment is that one cannot draw final conclusions based off of how the bridge has been used to date due to the overriding uncertainty and confusion.