
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 27, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 95040-95041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31058]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2016-0280]


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Chambers Creek, Steilacoom, WA

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the 
operating schedule that governs the Chambers Creek Burlington Northern 
Santa Fe Railroad vertical lift railroad bridge across Chambers Creek, 
mile 0.01, near Steilacoom in Pierce County, WA. This deviation will 
test a change to the drawbridge operation schedule to determine whether 
a permanent change to the schedule is appropriate. This test deviation 
will change the requirement for a bridge operator, and modify the 
existing regulation to add an advance notification requirement for 
obtaining bridge openings during designated evening hours.

DATES: This deviation is effective from Midnight (12:01) on December 
28, 2016 to Midnight (11:59) on June 23, 2017.
    Comments and related material must reach the Coast Guard on or 
before June 15, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2016-0280 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://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 
temporary deviation, call or email Mr. Steven Fischer, Bridge 
Administrator, Thirteenth Coast Guard District; telephone 206-220-7282, 
email Steven.M.Fischer3@uscg.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis

    The Chambers Creek Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad vertical 
lift railroad bridge across Chambers Creek, mile 0.01, near Steilacoom 
in Pierce County, WA, has a vertical clearance of 10ft in the closed-
to-navigation position, and 50ft of vertical clearance in the open-to-
navigation position (reference plane is MHW elevation of 12.2 feet). 
The bridge currently operates under 33 CFR 117.5.
    The bridge owner, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, has 
observed minimal to no usage of the drawbridge between 10 p.m. and 6 
a.m., and has requested to test this schedule to see if it better 
balances the needs of marine and rail traffic. The USCG conducted a 
test deviation from July 1, 2016 to December 27, 2016. However, only 
one bridge opening request was received during that time, and a 
quantitative ruling could not be made from the lack of data. The 
following facts support BNSF's proposal: (1) over the last 6 years only 
2% of the subject bridge lifts have occurred between the hours of 10 
p.m. and 6 a.m., which equates to approximately 5 openings a year, (2) 
from February 2009 to June 2015 there were 1932 total openings of which 
only 40 occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and (3) the 
navigation traffic consists primarily of the tenants of Chambers Bay 
marina (recreational users) that are members of the Chambers Bay 
Boating Association.
    The Coast Guard is publishing this temporary deviation to test the 
proposed schedule change to determine whether a permanent change to the 
schedule is appropriate to better balance the needs of marine and rail 
traffic. Under this temporary deviation, in effect from Midnight 
(12:01) on December 28, 2016 to Midnight (11:59) on June 23, 2017, the 
subject bridge shall open on signal, except from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the 
draw shall open on signal if at least 4 hours notice is given. The 
bridge will be required to open as soon a possible, no later than 1 
hour after notification, for vessels engaged in emergency response.
    The Coast Guard will inform the users of the waterways of this 
temporary deviation through our Local and Broadcast Notices to Mariners 
and through direct outreach with the Chambers Creek Boating Association 
so that vessel operators can arrange their transits to minimize any 
impact caused by the temporary deviation. Vessels able to pass 
underneath the bridge in the closed-to-navigation position may do so at 
any time. 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 http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person

[[Page 95041]]

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 http://www.regulations.gov 
and will include any personal information you have provided. For more 
about privacy and the docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice 
regarding the Federal Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, 
issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 15086).
    Documents mentioned in this notice, and all public comments, are in 
our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by 
following that Web site'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: December 19, 2016.
Steven M. Fischer,
Bridge Administrator, Thirteenth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2016-31058 Filed 12-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P


