Document ID: USCG-2014-1066-0001
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Rule
Title: Drawbridge Operations: Atchafalaya River,Morgan City, LA
Posted Date: 2015-01-16T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2302-2303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00592]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2014-1066]

Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atchafalaya River, Morgan City, 
LA

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of temporary deviation from drawbridge regulations.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the 
regulation governing the operation of the Morgan City(Berwick Bay) 
Railroad Bridge across the Atchafalaya River, mile 17.5 (Gulf 
Intracoastal Waterway (Morgan City-Port Allen Alternate Route) mile 
0.3) in Morgan City, St. Mary's Parish, Louisiana. This deviation 
provides for the bridge to remain closed to navigation for four 
consecutive hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon with 
an opening in the middle to pass vessels. This will last for six 
consecutive days. The purpose of the closure is to conduct scheduled 
maintenance and repairs to the drawbridge.

DATES: This deviation is effective from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then 
again from 1 p.m. through 4 p.m. daily from January 26 through January 
31, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The docket for this deviation, [USCG-2014-1066] is available 
at http://www.regulations.gov. Type the docket number in the ``SEARCH'' 
box and click ``SEARCH.'' Click on Open Docket Folder on the line 
associated with this rulemaking. You may also visit 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, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this 
temporary

[[Page 2303]]

deviation, call or email Jim Wetherington, Bridge Administration 
Branch, Coast Guard, telephone (504) 671-2128, email 
james.r.wetherington@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing the 
docket, call Cheryl F. Collins, Program Manager, Docket Operations, 
telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BNSF Railway Company requested a 
temporary deviation from the normal operation of the drawbridge in 
order to perform the installation of new generators and the removal of 
the old festoon cable. These repairs and scheduled maintenance are 
necessary for the continued operation of the bridge. This deviation 
allows the draw of the Morgan City (Berwick Bay) Railroad Bridge across 
the Atchafalaya River, mile 17.5 (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Morgan 
City-Port Allen Alternate Route) mile 0.3), to remain closed to 
navigation for four consecutive hours in the morning and three hours in 
the afternoon with an opening in the middle to pass vessels. The 
deviation is effective from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then again from 1 
p.m. through 4 p.m. daily from January 26 through January 31, 2015.
    Broadcast Notice to Mariners will be used to update mariners of any 
changes in this deviation.
    The bridge has a vertical clearance of 4 feet above high water in 
the closed-to-navigation position and 73 feet above high water in the 
open-to-navigation position. Navigation on the waterway consists of 
tugs with tows, oil industry related work boats and crew boats, 
commercial fishing vessels and some recreational craft. In accordance 
with 33 CFR 117.5, the draw of the bridge shall open on signal. The 
Morgan City-Port Allen Landside route through Amelia, LA is the 
alternate route.
    BNSF and the Coast Guard have coordinated the closure with waterway 
users, industry, and other Coast Guard units. This date and this 
schedule were chosen to minimize the significant effects on vessel 
traffic.
    In accordance with 33 CFR 117.35(e), the drawbridge must return to 
its regular operating schedule immediately at the end of the effective 
period of this temporary deviation. This deviation from the operating 
regulations is authorized under 33 CFR 117.35.

    Dated: January 9, 2015.
David M. Frank,
Bridge Administrator, Eighth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2015-00592 Filed 1-15-15; 8:45 am]
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