Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 5, 2005 / Rules and Regulations 58057 

ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation 

from regulations. 

SUMMARY: The Commander, First Coast 

Guard District, has issued a temporary 

deviation from the drawbridge operation 

regulations for the Metropolitan Avenue 

Bridge, mile 3.4, across English Kills at 

New York City, New York. Under this 

temporary deviation the bridge may 

remain in the closed position from 11 

p.m. on October 21, 2005 through 6 a.m. 

on October 24, 2005. This temporary 

deviation is necessary to facilitate 

scheduled bridge maintenance. 

DATES: This deviation is effective from 

October 21, 2005 through October 24, 

2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy 

Leung-Yee, Project Officer, First Coast 

Guard District, at (212) 668–7195. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Metropolitan Avenue Bridge has a 

vertical clearance in the closed position 

of 10 feet at mean high water and 15 feet 

at mean low water. The existing 

drawbridge operation regulations are 

listed at 33 CFR 117.801(e). 

The owner of the bridge, New York 

City Department of Transportation 

(NYCDOT), requested a temporary 

deviation from the drawbridge operation 

regulations to facilitate scheduled 

bridge repairs, counterweight 

replacement. The bridge must remain in 

the closed position in order to perform 

this work. 

Under this temporary deviation the 

NYCDOT Metropolitan Avenue Bridge 

may remain in the closed position from 

11 p.m. on October 21, 2005 through 6 

a.m. on October 24, 2005. 

This deviation from the operating 

regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 

117.35, and will be performed with all 

due speed in order to return the bridge 

to normal operation as soon as possible. 

Dated: September 23, 2005. 

Gary Kassof, 

Bridge Program Manager, First Coast Guard 

District. 

[FR Doc. 05–19948 Filed 10–4–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

33 CFR Part 117 

[CGD01–05–092] 

Drawbridge Operation Regulations: 

Chelsea River, MA 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation 

from regulations. 

SUMMARY: The Commander, First Coast 

Guard District, has issued a temporary 

deviation from the drawbridge operation 

regulations for the P.J. McArdle Bridge, 

mile 0.3, across the Chelsea River 

between East Boston and Chelsea, 

Massachusetts. Under this temporary 

deviation the bridge may remain closed 

from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., on October 24, 

2005 and October 27, 2005. This 

temporary deviation is necessary to 

facilitate scheduled bridge maintenance. 

DATES: This deviation is effective from 

October 24, 2005 through October 27, 

2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

McDonald, Project Officer, First Coast 

Guard District, at (617) 223–8364. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The P.J. 

McArdle Bridge has a vertical clearance 

in the closed position of 21 feet at mean 

high water and 30 feet at mean low 

water. The existing drawbridge 

operation regulations are listed at 33 

CFR 117.593. 

The owner of the bridge, the City of 

Boston, requested a temporary deviation 

from the drawbridge operation 

regulations to facilitate scheduled 

bridge maintenance, bearing 

replacement. 

Under this temporary deviation the 

P.J. McArdle Bridge may remain closed 

from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., on October 24, 

2005 and October 27, 2005. 

This deviation from the operating 

regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 

117.35, and will be performed with all 

due speed in order to return the bridge 

to normal operation as soon as possible. 

Dated: September 23, 2005. 

Gary Kassof, 

Bridge Program Manager, First Coast Guard 

District. 

[FR Doc. 05–19947 Filed 10–4–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

33 CFR Part 117 

[CGD01–05–061] 

RIN 1625–AA09 

Drawbridge Operation Regulations: 

Hackensack River, NJ 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has changed 

the drawbridge operation regulations 

that govern the Amtrak Portal Bridge at 

mile 5.0, across the Hackensack River at 

Little Snake Hill, New Jersey. This final 

rule allows the bridge owner to expand 

the two time periods in the morning and 

in the afternoon, Monday through 

Friday, when the bridge may remain 

closed to vessel traffic. 

DATES: This rule is effective November 

4, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Comments and material 

received from the public, as well as 

documents indicated in this preamble as 

being available in the docket, are part of 

docket (CGD01–05–061) and are 

available for inspection or copying at 

the First Coast Guard District, Bridge 

Branch Office, 408 Atlantic Avenue, 

Boston, Massachusetts 02110, between 7 

a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Gary Kassof, Bridge Administrator, First 

Coast Guard District, (212) 668–7165. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulatory Information 

On July 29, 2005, we published a 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 

entitled Drawbridge Operation 

Regulations; Hackensack River, New 

Jersey, in the Federal Register (70 FR 

43812). We received 30 comment letters 

in response to the notice of proposed 

rulemaking. All 30 comment letters 

were in favor of the proposed 

rulemaking. No public hearing was 

requested and none was held. 

Background and Purpose 

The Amtrak Portal Bridge has a 

vertical clearance of 23 feet at mean 

high water and 28 feet at mean low 

water in the closed position. The 

existing operating regulations are listed 

at 33 CFR 117.723(c). 

The owner of the bridge, National 

Railroad Passenger Corporation 

(AMTRAK), requested a change to the 

drawbridge operation regulations that 

would expand the two time periods in 

the morning and afternoon, Monday 

through Friday, when the bridge may 

remain closed to vessel traffic. 

Rail traffic during the morning and 

afternoon commuter periods has 

increased over the past several years. 

Bridge openings during the two 

commuter time periods have caused 

delays to rail traffic prompting the 

bridge owner to request the expansion 

of the two bridge closure periods in the 

morning and afternoon Monday through 

Friday. 

The Coast Guard conducted two 90- 

day test deviations to help determine if 

the proposed drawbridge operation 

schedule changes would help facilitate