[k1052]

Hell yeah. This was so effective that it's being made permanent.



Coast Guard issues NPRM to make Portal Bridge rush hour opening restrictions permanent

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make permanent the peak time restrictions for maritime traffic that governs when Amtrak’s Portal Bridge can be opened. The NPRM was published in the Oct. 7 edition of the Federal Register and the Coast Guard does not consider it to be “significant regulatory action.”

In March, the U.S. Coast Guard issued an order that prohibited the opening of the bridge in Kearny, N.J., for marine traffic on the Hackensack River between 5:00-10:00 a.m. and 3:00-8:00 p.m. for six months. The order was implemented to reduce the risk that the bridge will experience a failure. The moveable span bridge, which is more than a century old, hosts approximately 450 trains per day and the aging mechanical components sometimes malfunction while opening and closing for maritime traffic.

The NPRM would extend and the existing restrictions while the U.S. Coast Guard finalizes the rule. Comments on the NPRM must be received by Dec. 6, 2019.

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/...ions-permanent