Sector Virginia
Marine Safety Information Bulletin

(757) 374-3408
VirginiaWaterways@uscg.mil

MSIB 375-21

October 4, 2021

Elizabeth River – Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad Bridge – Bridge Deviation 

The Coast Guard has approved a request from Norfolk Southern Corporation for temporary deviation on the Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad Bridge, mile 5.8, in Chesapeake, VA. The Coast Guard made every effort to incorporate comments received during a stakeholder meeting on September 30th hosted by the Virginia Maritime Association.  The closure dates/times presented below only account for partial completion of bridge work required on the bridge.  The Coast Guard intends to release a follow-on MSIB in early December to announce closures expected to begin in early January and persist until early March 2022.

Closure dates/times are provided below:

To facilitate the maintenance (tread replacement), the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position during (3) 64 – hour closures lasting from 7 p.m. to 11 a.m. on each of the following proposed dates in October-November:

• Saturday, October 9th through Tuesday, October 12th.
• Saturday, November 6th through Tuesday, November 9th.
• Saturday, November 20th through Tuesday, November 23rd.

The bridge will NOT be available during closure periods. Mariners should carefully consider transit plans outside of proposed closures and use caution when transiting the area.

Waterway Opening / Rail Outage times are provided below:

To facilitate clearing the maritime queue after the extended closures, the bridge will be maintained in the open-to-navigation position during (3) 2 – hour openings lasting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on each of the following proposed dates in October-November:

• Tuesday, October 12th
• Tuesday, November 9th
• Tuesday, November 23rd

At all other times, the bridge will operate as required by regulations. The vertical clearance of the bridge in the closed-to-navigation position is 7 feet above mean high water. Vessels able to pass through the bridge in the closed position may do so at any time.

This information will be published in the Fifth Coast Guard District’s Local Notice to Mariners.

For any questions or concerns regarding this issue, please contact the United States Coast Guard Sector Virginia Waterways Management Division (757) 374-3408 at VirginiaWaterways@uscg.mil. For urgent matters, please contact the Sector Virginia Command Center at 757-483-8567. 

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