Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 81 / Thursday, April 27, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 20657

(c) Assignment of responsibility. The

owner of the track carried by a bridge

may assign responsibility for

maintenance of the bridge to another

party as long as the assignment ensures

that responsibility for the safety of the

bridge is not diminished.

2. Capacity of bridges.

(a) Determination. The safe capacity

of bridges should be determined by

competent engineers using accepted

principles of structural design and

analysis.

(b) Analysis. Proper analysis of a

bridge requires knowledge of the actual

dimensions, materials and properties of

the structural members of the bridge,

their condition, and the stresses

imposed in those members by the

service loads.

(c) Rating. The factors which were

used for the design of a bridge can

generally be used to determine and rate

the load capacity of a bridge provided:

(i) The condition of the bridge has not

changed significantly, and

(ii) The stresses resulting from the

service loads can be correlated to the

stresses for which the bridge was

designed or rated.

3. Bridge loads.

(a) Control of loads. The operating

instructions for each railroad operating

over bridges should include provisions

to restrict the movement of cars and

locomotives whose weight or

configuration exceed the nominal

capacity of the bridges.

(b) Authority for exceptions.

Equipment exceeding the nominal

weight restriction on a bridge should be

operated only under conditions

determined by a competent engineer

who has properly analyzed the stresses

resulting from the proposed loads.

(c) Operating conditions. Operating

conditions for exceptional loads may

include speed restrictions, restriction of

traffic from adjacent multiple tracks,

and weight limitations on adjacent cars

in the same train.

4. Bridge records.

(a) The organization responsible for

the safety of a bridge should keep

design, construction, maintenance and

repair records readily accessible to

permit the determination of safe loads.

Having design or rating drawings and

calculations that conform to the actual

structure greatly simplifies the process

of making accurate determinations of

safe bridge loads.

(b) Organizations acquiring railroad

property should obtain original or

usable copies of all bridge records and

drawings, and protect or maintain

knowledge of the location of the original

records.

5. Specifications for design and

rating.

(a) The recommended specifications

for the design and rating of bridges are

those found in the ‘‘Manual for Railway

Engineering’’ published by the

American Railway Engineering

Association (AREA). These

specifications incorporate recognized

principles of structural design and

analysis. They are continually reviewed

and revised by committees of competent

engineers. Other specifications for

design and rating, however, have been

successfully used by some railroads and

may also be suitable now.

(b) A bridge can be rated for capacity

according to current specifications

regardless of the specification to which

it was originally designed.

6. Periodic inspections.

(a) Periodic bridge inspections by

competent inspectors are necessary to

determine whether a structure conforms

to its design or rating condition and, if

not, or the degree of nonconformity.

(b) The prevailing practice throughout

the railroad industry is to inspect

railroad bridges at least annually.

Inspections at more frequent intervals

may be indicated by the nature or

condition of a structure or intensive

traffic levels.

7. Underwater inspections.

(a) Inspections of bridges should

include measuring and recording the

condition of substructure support at

locations subject to erosion from moving

water.

(b) Stream beds are often not visible

to the inspector. Indirect measurements

by sounding, probing, or any other

appropriate means are necessary in

those cases. A series of records of those

readings will provide the best

information should unexpected changes

suddenly occur. Where such indirect

measurements do not provide the

necessary assurance of foundation

integrity, diving inspections should be

performed as prescribed by a competent

engineer.

8. Special inspections.

(a) A special bridge inspection should

be performed after an occurrence that

might have reduced the capacity of the

bridge, such as a flood, a derailment, or

an unusual impact.

(b) When a railroad learns that a

bridge might have suffered damage

through an unusual occurrence, it

should restrict train operation over the

bridge until the bridge can be inspected

and evaluated.

9. Inspection records.

(a) Bridge inspections should be

recorded. Records should identify the

structure inspected, the date of the

inspection, the name of the inspector,

the components inspected, and their

condition.

(b) Information from bridge inspection

reports should be incorporated into a

bridge management program to ensure

that exceptions on the reports are

corrected or accounted for. A series of

inspection reports over time should be

maintained so as to provide a valuable

record of trends and rates of degradation

of bridge components. The reports

should be structured to promote

comprehensive inspections and

effective communication between an

inspector and an engineer who performs

an analysis of a bridge.

(c) An inspection report should be

comprehensible to a competent person

without interpretation by the reporting

inspector.

10. Bridge inspectors and engineers.

(a) Bridge inspections should be

performed by technicians whose

training and experience enable them to

detect and record indications of distress

on a bridge. Inspectors must provide

accurate measurements and other

information about the condition of the

bridge in enough detail for an engineer

to make a proper evaluation of the safety

of the bridge.

(b) Accurate information about the

condition of a bridge should be

evaluated by an engineer who is

competent to determine the capacity of

the bridge. The inspector and the

evaluator are often not the same

individual. The quality of the bridge

evaluation depends on the quality of the

communication between them.

11. Scheduling inspections.

(a) A bridge management program

should include a means to ensure that

each bridge under the program is

inspected at the frequency prescribed

for that bridge by a competent engineer.

(b) Bridge inspections should be

scheduled from an accurate bridge

inventory list that includes the due date

of the next inspection.

12. Special considerations for railroad

bridges.

Railroad bridges differ from other

types of bridges in the types of loads

they carry, in their modes of failure and

indications of distress, and in their

construction details and components.

Proper inspection and analysis of

railroad bridges requires familiarity

with the loads, details and indications

of distress that are unique to this class

of structure.

Issued at Washington, DC., on April 21,

1995.

Jolene M. Molitoris,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–10323 Filed 4–26–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
20658 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 81 / Thursday, April 27, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 672

[Docket No. 950206041–5041–01; I.D.

042195A]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Trawl

Fishery for Deep-water Species

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for species that comprise the

deep-water species fishery by vessels

using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska

(GOA). This action is necessary because

the second seasonal bycatch allowance

of Pacific halibut apportioned to the

deep-water species fishery in the GOA

has been caught.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), April 22, 1995, until 12

noon, A.l.t., July 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the Magnuson

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act. Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed

by regulations implementing the FMP at

50 CFR parts 620 and 672.

In accordance with § 672.20(f)(1)(i)

the deep-water species fishery, which is

defined at § 672.20(f)(1)(i)(B)(2) was

apportioned 300 metric tons of Pacific

halibut prohibited species catch for the

second season, the period April 1, 1995,

through June 30, 1995 (60 FR 8470,

February 14, 1995).

The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined, in accordance with

§ 672.20(f)(3)(i), that vessels

participating in the trawl deep-water

species fishery in the GOA have caught

the second seasonal bycatch allowance

of Pacific halibut apportioned to that

fishery. Therefore, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for each species and

species group that comprise the deepwater species fishery by vessels using

trawl gear in the GOA. The species and

species groups that comprise the deepwater species fishery are: All rockfish of

the genera Sebastes and Sebastolobus,

Greenland turbot, Dover sole, Rex sole,

arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish.

Directed fishing standards for

applicable gear types may be found in

the regulations at § 672.20(g).

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

672.20 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: April 21, 1995.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–10299 Filed 4–24–95; 9:16 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 675

[Docket No. 950206040–5040–01; I.D.

042195C]

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands Area; Trawl Pacific

Cod Fishery

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed

fishery for Pacific cod by vessels using

trawl gear in the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands management area

(BSAI). This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the first seasonal

apportionment of the 1995 prohibited

species bycatch mortality allowance of

Pacific halibut specified for the trawl

Pacific cod fishery in the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), April 24, 1995, until 12

noon, A.l.t., October 25, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area

(FMP) prepared by the North Pacific

Fishery Management Council under

authority of the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed by

regulations implementing the FMP at 50

CFR parts 620 and 675.

The first seasonal bycatch mortality

allowance of Pacific halibut for the

BSAI trawl Pacific cod fishery, which is

defined at § 675.21(b)(1)(iii)(E), was

established as 1,450 metric tons by the

final 1995 specifications of groundfish

(60 FR 8479, February 14, 1995).

The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined, in accordance with

§ 675.21(c)(1)(iii), that the first seasonal

apportionment of the Pacific halibut

bycatch mortality allowance for the

trawl Pacific cod fishery has been

caught. Therefore, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for Pacific cod by

vessels using trawl gear in the BSAI.

Directed fishing standards for

applicable gear types may be found in

the regulations at § 675.20(h).

Classification

This action is taken under § 675.21

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: April 21, 1995.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–10298 Filed 4–24–95; 9:16 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F