Coast Guard August 10, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Coast Guard proposes to change the regulations that govern the operation of the Conrail Bridge over the Schuylkill River, mile 6.4 near Christian Street, at Philadelphia, PA. The proposed rule intends to change the current regulation to reflect a change in name of the bridge and to meet the current lack of demand for openings. The current regulation requires the Conrail Bridge to open on signal if at least two hours notice is given. CSX Transportation acquired the bridge from Conrail 13 years ago and there have been no requests requiring openings. Based on this lack of demand for opening, this proposed rule would allow the bridge to remain in the closed to navigation position. This proposed rule would also rename the bridge from the Conrail Bridge to the CSX Bridge.

The Coast Guard proposes to change the operating schedule governing the Freeport Drawbridge, mile 46.0, over the Sacramento River. The bridge owner has proposed to change the 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., summer time ``on demand'' bridge opening hours to a new timeframe between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.; and to extend the winter (4 hour advance notice), operating schedule to include the month of October, due to a documented decrease in drawbridge openings compared to other nearby bridges. The proposed change is to address the issue of misalignment between drawbridge staffing and actual usage of the drawbridge, apparently resulting in unnecessary staffing of the drawbridge during periods of navigational inactivity.