Coast Guard April 20, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard proposes to establish temporary security zones in portions of the waters around Stapleton Homeport Pier in Upper New York Bay, as well as the New York City Passenger Ship Terminal and Intrepid Museum in the Hudson River and around each participating Fleet Week vessel. This action is necessary to safeguard Naval vessels, Coast Guard vessels, and critical port infrastructure from sabotage, subversive act, or other threats. This rule does not apply to any vessel engaged in the enforcement of these security zones, other law enforcement, port security, or search and rescue activity. This rule would prohibit entry into or movement within these security zones without authorization from the Captain of the Port of New York.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulation governing the operation of the SR 315 (Bayou Dularge) bascule bridge across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, mile 59.9 west of Harvey Lock, in Houma, Louisiana. An increase in traffic during the noontime time period facilitated a request to allow the bridge to remain closed to navigation for two (2), 30-minute periods in the middle of the day. These closures will allow local workers to transit the area with minimal delays during the noontime lunch period.

The Coast Guard is changing the regulation governing the operation of the SR 661 (Houma Nav Canal) swing bridge across the Houma Navigation Canal, mile 36.0, in Houma, Louisiana. An increase in traffic during the noontime time period has facilitated a request to allow the bridge to remain closed to navigation for two (2), 30-minute periods in the middle of the day. These closures will allow local workers to transit the area with minimal delays during the noontime lunch period.

The Coast Guard has changed the drawbridge operation regulations that govern the operation of the S35 Bridge, mile 0.0, across Cheesequake Creek at Morgan, South Amboy, New Jersey. This final rule allows the bridge to open on the hour only from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., May 1 through October 31. In addition, this rule allows the bridge owner to require a 4-hour advance notice for openings from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. all year, and all day from November 1 through April 30. This rule is expected to relieve the bridge owner of the burden of crewing the bridge at all times while still providing for the reasonable needs of navigation.

This final rule adopts, without changes, the interim rule published on April 7, 2000, which changed the speed limit in Tongass Narrows. This final rule extends the speed limit area northward in Tongass Narrows to Channel Island, allows the take-off and landing of floatplanes, and allows smaller vessels to transit crowded areas to Tongass Narrows more quickly, relieving congestion. This final rule also re-designates the safety zone in Ketchikan Harbor as an anchorage ground. Vessels transiting the anchorage ground, other than those engaged in anchoring evolutions are required to proceed through the anchorage by the most direct route without delay or sudden course change. The new rule makes the final approach, anchoring, and departure of very large passenger vessels, safer for the vessels involved.

The Coast Guard proposes to temporarily change the drawbridge operating regulations governing the operation of the Carlton Bridge, mile 14.0, across the Kennebec River between Bath and Woolwich, Maine. This proposed rule would allow the bridge to open on signal every three hours at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, from July 5 through December 17, 2005, and again from April 1 through June 30, 2006, to facilitate rehabilitation construction at the bridge. This rule also would allow five three-day bridge closures in September and October of 2005. Vessels that can pass under the bridge without a bridge opening may do so at all times.