Document ID: USCG-2021-0099-0001
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Rule
Title: Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Okeechobee Waterway, Indiantown, FL
Posted Date: 2021-03-05T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 42 (Friday, March 5, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 12821-12822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04552]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2021-0099]

Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Okeechobee Waterway, Indiantown, 
FL

AGENCY: Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

ACTION: Notification of temporary deviation from regulations; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the 
operating schedule that governs the Seaboard System Railroad Bridge, 
across the

[[Page 12822]]

Okeechobee Waterway, mile 28.2, at Indiantown, Florida. The bridge 
owner requested to start the three hour advance notice for an opening 
earlier each evening and end it one hour later each morning. This 
deviation will test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to 
determine whether a permanent change to the schedule is needed. The 
Coast Guard is seeking comments from the public regarding these 
proposed changes.

DATES: This deviation is effective without actual notice from March 5, 
2021 through 11:59 p.m. on August 27, 2021. For the purposes of 
enforcement, actual notice will be used from 1 a.m. on March 1, 2021 
until March 5, 2021.
    Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or 
before April 29, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2021-0099 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this test 
deviation, call or email L.T. Samuel Rodriguez-Gonzalez, U.S. Coast 
Guard, Sector Miami Waterways Management Division; telephone 305-535-
4307, email Samuel.Rodriguez-Gonzalez@uscg.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background, Purpose, and Legal Basis

    The Seaboard System Railroad Bridge across the Okeechobee Waterway, 
mile 28.2, at Indiantown, Florida is a swing bridge with a seven foot 
vertical clearance at mean high water in the closed position. The 
normal operating schedule for the bridge is set forth in 33 CFR 
117.317(e). Navigation on the waterway is commercial and recreational.
    The bridge owner, CSX Transportation, requested that vessels 
provide a three hour advance notification for a bridge opening during 
the evening and overnight hours. The three hour advance notification 
would align with the operating schedule of the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE) Locks along this portion of the Okeechobee Waterway. 
After reviewing the draw tender logs, the Coast Guard determined that 
allowing the bridge to change the start and end times for the advance 
notice may meet the reasonable needs of navigation.
    Under this test deviation, the draw shall open on signal, except 
that from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. the draw shall open if at least a three hour 
advance notice is given. Advance openings can be arranged by contacting 
CSX Transportation at 1-850-209-9528.
    The Coast Guard will also inform the users of the waterways through 
our Local and Broadcast Notices to Mariners of the change in operating 
schedule for the bridge so that vessel operators can arrange their 
transits to minimize any impact caused by the temporary deviation.
    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.

II. Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We view public participation as essential to effective rulemaking, 
and will consider all comments and material received during the comment 
period. Your comment can help shape the outcome of this rulemaking. If 
you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
rulemaking, indicate the specific section of this document to which 
each comment applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation.
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and 
submissions in response to this document, see DHS's eRulemaking System 
of Records notice (85 FR 14226, March 11, 2020).
    Documents mentioned in this test deviation as being available in 
this docket and all public comments, will be in our online docket at 
https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that 
website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket 
and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are 
posted or a final rule is published.

    Dated: February 25, 2021.
Randall D. Overton,
Director, Bridge Administration, Seventh Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2021-04552 Filed 3-4-21; 8:45 am]
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