Skipper Healy speaks for us all as he protests the extended closures of the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line RR which crosses the Waterway at Mile 2.6 on the ICW of the Southern Branch Elizabeth River. See /?p=153313 and add your voice to this protest!

From: Jim Healy [mailto:gilwellbear@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2015 7:15 PM
To: D05-SMB-SECHR-Waterways
Subject: Belt Line Railroad Bridge Closures, Norfolk, Elizabeth River

Allowing this closure at this time of year is disrespectful and derelict. It is outright malfeasance towards the interests and safety of legitimate waterway users. Do not even try to disrespect me by saying this couldn’t have been scheduled at another time!
Coast Guard, do not permit daytime closures of this waterway at peak use seasons for recreational vessels! Ever!
If the USCG can’t do this right, why should I believe you can do actually do national security and law enforcement right?
Jim
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently southbound at Solomons, MD
http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com
Monk 36 Hull #132
MMSI #367042570
AGLCA #3767
MTOA #3436

On Oct 23, 2015, at 10:03, Woodman, Lisa LT wrote:
Mr. Healy,
Thank you for your feedback. We are trying to balance the needs of the maritime world with the need to maintain our nation’s rail infrastructure. The maintenance on the Norfolk Belt Line Bridge is necessary for the bridge to recommence automatic operations. Currently, in manual operation, the bridge takes twice as long to open/close which has a significant impact to both the maritime community and rail operating schedules. Continued long-term operation in this manner is not a safe option. I assure you that the CG and others has spent significant time trying to manage all maritime interests in this closure, and we are attempting to find the optimal schedule for everyone given the constraints that the maintenance/repairs do need to be conducted.
I’m not sure how helpful this is to folks, but there is a gap in the closure periods. The closure ends today, October 23 and is not scheduled to recommence until October 29. So October 24 to October 28 would be an ideal
window for folks to transit south if their schedule allows. Please spread the word if you see the opportunity.
Regards,
LT Lisa Woodman, P.E.
Sector Hampton Roads WWM
200 Granby Street, Ste 700
Norfolk, VA 23510
757-668-5582 (ph)
757-668-5514 (fax)
HamptonRoadsWaterway@uscg.mil

Lt. Woodman,

I thank you most sincerely for the courtesy of your personal response.

Forgive me, but your response is, to me, nonsense. Allowing this PROLONGED closure at this time of year is disrespectful and derelict to the public trust. It is malfeasance on the part of the Bridge Division because of the safety issues it creates to waterway users.
While possibly true, at this moment, in this case, this situation could have easily been avoided. Why can the Belt Line RR operators not be asked to do their work at night? If the Belt Line RR declines to do proper preventive maintenance on a non-disruptive calendar schedule, that is a business and financial decision made by that private enterprise. The fact that a private enterprise makes inconsiderate or thoughtless business decisions should not cause the USCG Bridge Division to confiscate a public-trust waterway and allow extensive and prolonged disruption to waterway users. Allowing these prolonged closures at the convenience of RR interests simply encourages continued selfish and inconsiderate planning and investment decisions by the RR companies in the future.
The history of the Elizabeth River, Norfolk, VA, waterway is that the USCG Bridge Division always allows business interests to supersede the safety interests of “ordinary citizen” users of that public-trust Intracoastal Waterway. The Bridge Division ignores the fact that there are no safe waiting locations along the South Branch of the Elizabeth River that are available to small vessels. Furthermore, your comment: “So October 24 to October 28 would be an ideal window for folks to transit south if their schedule allows,” reflects gross misunderstanding of small vessel safety. Small vessels cannot plan a transit “schedule.” Small vessels are subject to weather conditions, and particularly so on the great waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the north and the Albemarle Sound to the south. When the Gilmerton Bridge wanted 3-hour “temporary” closures for construction, the Bridge Division went along with that request. The Bridge Division ignored the obvious safety problems that decision created for waterway users in the fall, when hours-of-daylight decrease, and it’s dark at 17h30. And although the Gilmerton Bridge construction is long completed, those “temporary” restrictions” in hours-of-operation remain in place. How about honoring the “temporary” commitment and returning to the original, 2-hour, closure schedule? Now – yet again – with the Belt Line RR Bridge work, the Bridge Division is showing utter disregard to the safety interests of citizen waterway users in preference to the business convenience of the Belt Line Bridge operator.
Furthermore, the USCG Bridge Division makes these public-safety tradeoffs everywhere. The Bridge Division has allowed the City of Beaufort, South Carolina, to create a significant disruption to safe access to the public-trust Intracoastal Waterway at Beaufort, SC, through prolonged closures of the Lady’s Island Bridge. This jeopardizing the safety of citizen waterway users in adverse weather and tide conditions. The Bridge Division routinely allows prolonged closures of locks and lift bridges for ROUTINE MAINTENANCE during usage peak seasons. All boaters can understand emergencies happen, but ROUTINE MAINTENANCE during peak travel periods? Nonsense! I can only wonder what tradeoffs the Bridge Division will permit in Florida with the FEC expansions!
So, simply put, I do not trust the USCG Bridge Division to protect my interests as a citizen waterway user. While I have the utmost respect for USCG SAR Operations, the Bridge Division disappoints; it has not and is not earning my trust or respect. I think the Bridge Division is losing the larger public respect, and the perception of your willingness to uphold the oath you took to protect us! It seems to me you are “in the pocket” of big business interests to the detriment of ordinary citizens with no recourse and no alternatives.
To be clear, I am NOT suggesting these closures are not needed. To be sure, bridge maintenance is essential and necessary. I AM suggesting that these prolonged closures NOT BE PERMITTED during peak waterway use periods, during which the safety of those least able to accommodate to adverse conditions are those placed most at-risk. These railroads could “get by” with smaller trains. And if they had to do that, just once, the operations and financial inconvenience to them might teach them to better plan their preventive maintenance activities in the future. Likewise with lock and bridge operation everywhere. The USCG Bridge Division needs to put greater regard to the interests of citizen waterway users. Yes, I understand big money interests wield great clout. But consider, what is the value of preventing injury or death because a small vessel couldn’t get safe access to a public-trust Federal waterway?
So forgive me, but from where I view this, it appears the USCG holds the interests of common citizens as waterway users, and their safety, in rather low esteem and regard.T
Thank you,
Jim

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