SEC VA MSIB 477-21 - Elizabeth River - Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad Bridge - Bridge Deviation

MSIB 477-21

December 20, 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 closure dates/times presented below are necessary to complete required bridge work. All times listed below are show as the local time (EST).

 

Closure dates/times are provided below:

To facilitate the maintenance (tread replacement), the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position during (2) 64 - hour closures on each of the following dates in January:

• Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 7 p.m. through Tuesday morning , January 11, 2022 at 11 a.m.
• Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 7 p.m. through Tuesday morning , January 25, 2022 at 11 a.m.

To facilitate the maintenance (tread replacement), the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position during (2) 64 - hour closures on each of the following dates in February:

• Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 7 p.m. through Tuesday morning , February 8, 2022 at 11 a.m.
• Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 7 p.m. through Tuesday morning , February 22, 2022 at 11 a.m.

To facilitate the maintenance (tread replacement), the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position during (1) 64 - hour closures on the following date in March:

• Saturday, March 4, 2022 at 7 p.m. through Tuesday morning , March 7, 2022 at 11 a.m.

To facilitate the maintenance (Bridge Jacking/Track Alignment), the bridge will be maintained in the closed-to-navigation position during (2) 18 - hour closures on each of the following dates in March:

• Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 12 a.m. through 6 p.m.
• Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 12 a.m. through 6 p.m.

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 (4) 2 - hour openings on each of the following dates:

• Tuesday, January 11, 2022 starting at 11 a.m.
• Tuesday, January 25, 2022 starting at 11 a.m.
• Tuesday, February 8, 2022 starting at 11 a.m.
• Tuesday, February 22, 2022 starting at 11 a.m.
  

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 at VirginiaWaterways@uscg.mil. For urgent matters, please contact the Sector Virginia Command Center at 757-483-8567. 

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