The Pulaski Skyway Bridge is a double bascule over the Newtown Creek, Brooklyn, NY.  The New York City skyline with the Empire State Building is in the background.

The United States has the most extensive transportation infrastructure in the world.  Our vast network of highways and railroads twist and bend in and around every city and town connecting communities throughout America.  When roads and railways meet America's waterways, bridges are constructed to keep the traffic moving.

Wherever a bridge spans across one of our nation’s navigable waterways the U.S. Coast Guard a plays a role in determining how best to keep the flow of vessel traffic safely moving below.  The Coast Guard provides a permit which defines the safety requirements for the bridge.  It then has a responsibility to ensure the bridge owner complies with the permit requirements.

Bridges can be fixed or movable.  Fixed bridges can be very large, spanning over vast expanses such as the Mississippi River or narrow channels.  Large fixed bridges can have more than one navigation channel below, while smaller spans can be so limited as to allow recreational boats to pass only at low tide.  Many of these bridges have a variety of lights which help to mark the navigation channel at night and to help ensure the safe passage of vessels.

There are also many types of moveable bridges.  Lift bridges are becoming increasingly common, while bascule and retractable bridges are still widespread throughout the country.  In addition to lights for nighttime navigation, the Coast Guard has established special rules for many of these moveable bridges and these can be found in Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations.  Many moveable spans require signs or clearance gauges to be attached providing information for passing ships and boats.  All possible hazards are considered and necessary rules for safety promulgated by the Coast Guard.

The edges of the channels are frequently lined with fenders or wales to protect against a vessel striking piers or other obstructions in the channel.  These structures must be surveyed to insure they are serviceable.  If a fender system is damaged the heads of bolts or other fragments of steel sometimes protrude into the channel.  These are quite dangerous as they can gouge into the side of a vessel or barge. Worse yet, these small pieces might cause a spark which could cause an explosion.

Inspection to ensure compliance is a daunting task for the Coast Guard.  Bridges are sometimes located hundreds of miles from the nearest Bridge Administration Unit and it is difficult to travel out to make the necessary annual surveys.

In 1996, in an effort to integrate the Auxiliary into the Bridge Administration Program, the National Commodore entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coast Guard to use trained Auxiliary members as a force multiplier for this program.  This memorandum has been merged into the Auxiliary Manual as Appendix A.

The Navigation Systems staffs in both Districts 1 Northern and Southern Regions have developed online databases to track bridges.  The database allows bridges to be sorted by Divisions enabling members to check the status of a local bridge, to report a discrepancy or to simply submit an annual survey report.  "This database has been refined to enable us to delineate the bridges by class and division," said Frank Larkin, A National Marine Safety Division Chief, "making organization much more manageable.”

Today, the Auxiliary has active Bridge Administration Programs in many districts throughout the country.  Hundreds of members are actively engaged in the mission of providing feedback on the condition of required navigational safety equipment attached to our nation's bridges.  This information is vital to the Coast Guard.  Each time a discrepancy report is filed, the Coast Guard contacts the bridge owner and requires that necessary repairs to be completed within a specified period of time.  Failure to comply can result in remedial action including fines.

It is important to familiarize yourself with your local bridges.  You may pass over a bridge many times a week without realizing the there are discrepancies lurking below.  These bridges can be checked from both land and sea, so take a minute to pull alongside the road and have a look at the lights, which of course must be checked before sunrise or after legal sunset, as well as other discrepancies which may be present.  The next time you get underway on a marine patrol, take a look at the bridges your pass under.  Report discrepancies your District’s Navigation Systems reporting procedures.

“Digital photographs of the bridges in your area can help your Navigation Systems staff members identify bridges in the District as well as possible discrepancies,” states Kevin Redden, National Marine Safety Branch Chief, ”try to take digital photographs for inclusion with your reports.”

Some members may be assigned to perform annual surveys of bridges in your local area.  These members have been given instruction on the required equipment and how to identify discrepancies.  If you are interested in becoming a qualified Aids to Navigation (ATON) verifier sign up for the next scheduled training in your district.

Our primary role as members of the Auxiliary is to help the Coast Guard meet its mission of protecting lives and property.  Each of us has the opportunity to make a contribution to this mission each and every day by helping to ensure that the channels below the bridges over America's waterways remain safe for navigation. 

~GJA