[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4587-4588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00339]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

33 CFR Part 117

[Docket No. USCG-2019-0911]


Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Mobile River, Hurricane, AL

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice 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 CSX Transportation Railroad 
vertical lift bridge across Mobile River, mile 13.3 near Hurricane, 
Alabama. This deviation is needed to collect and analyze information on 
vessel traffic when the bridge tender is moved to a geographically 
remote centralized control point located in Mobile, AL. The Coast Guard 
is seeking comments from the public about the impact to vessel traffic 
generated by this change.

DATES: This deviation is effective from 6 a.m. January 27, 2020 through 
6 p.m. March 27, 2020.
    Comments and related material must be received by the Coast Guard 
on or before March 27, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2019-0911 using Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
    See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion 
of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this test 
deviation, call or email Mr. Doug Blakemore, Eighth Coast Guard 
District Bridge Administrator; telephone (504) 671-2128, email 
Douglas.A.Blakemore@uscg.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background, Purpose and Legal Basis

    CSX Railroad has established a central location to operate CSX 
drawbridges. They have requested to relocate the Mobile River bridge 
tender to their centralized location in Mobile, AL. This CSX vertical 
lift bridge is located at Mobile River, mile 13.3, Mobile County, near 
Hurricane, AL. It has a vertical clearance of 5.5' in the closed to 
vessel position. The bridge operates according to 33 CFR 117.5. Mobile 
River is used primarily by commercial tow and recreational vessels. The 
bridge opens for vessels about 6 times per day and vessels that do not 
need the bridge to open may pass.
    This deviation will last for 60 days. CSX will collect data on all 
bridge openings to ensure that the remote operations will not impact 
navigation. CSX will immediately return the tender to the bridge 
location if there are any system failures or weather conditions that 
will not allow the bridge tender to operate the bridge from Mobile.
    The Coast Guard will publish information about this temporary 
deviation in our Local and Broadcast Notice to Mariners so that 
mariners are informed of this operating change and our request for 
comments on the change.
    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

[[Page 4588]]

outcome of this deviation from drawbridge regulations. If you submit a 
comment, please include the docket number for this document, 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 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, visit http://www.regulations.gov/privacynotice.
    Documents mentioned in this deviation from drawbridge regulations 
as being available in this docket and all public comments, will be in 
our online docket at http://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 another document is published.

    Dated: January 8, 2020.
Douglas Allen Blakemore, Sr.,
Bridge Administrator, Eighth Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2020-00339 Filed 1-24-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P


