Bridge Discrepancy Reporting System

The new Bridge Discrepancy Reporting System allows online entry of bridge discrepancy reports and bridge survey reports, and the system provides electronic delivery of the reports to the CG Bridge Office.

In addition, all District 1SR bridges are listed in the online database. Members can see the specifications for any bridge, as well as the recent discrepancy history and actions taken by the CG bridge office. The system is available at this link, and is available now for use in reporting discrepancies  observed on district bridges. The system has online instructions to guide you in the use of the system.

For system security and compliance with the Privacy Act, the system uses the CGAux eDirectory to authenticate member logins.

Reviewing Details For A Bridge

After logging into the system, the user is brought to the main bridge selection screen. On the screen either select one specific division to see the bridges that are already marked as being in that division's AOR, or select "All" to bring up a list of all bridges in the district. Find the bridge you are interested in, and then select "Display Details".

That will display the information in the database for that bridge, including its recent discrepancy history. You can input updates/corrections to that data by selecting "Report Discrepancy" for that bridge on the main bridge selection screen.
 

Reporting Discrepancies On A Bridge.

After logging into the system, the user is brought to the main bridge selection screen. On the screen either select one specific division to see the bridges that are already marked as being in that division's AOR, or select "All" to bring up a list of all bridges in the district. Find the bridge you are interested in, and then select "Report Discrepancy".

That will bring you to the information update screen where you can enter discrepancies or updates for almost any field in that bridge's record. Any discrepancy report must include a through and complete text description of the problem found, written in enough detail to allow the bridge office staff to get a complete picture of the problem.

When finished entering all new data, click on "Submit" on the bottom of the screen. This will save your data (you will get an e-mailed acknowledgement) and then send a notice to the district ATON staff that your report is ready to process. When your report has been processed, you will again get an e-mailed notification of the processing results.

For any report of extinguished lights on a bridge, a simple report using this system and clearly identify just which lights are involved is sufficient. For any other initial problem report other than extinguished light, a photogram is required. A picture speaks a thousand words, and it allows the bridge office staff to see exactly what the discrepancy is that is being reported. Pictures should be e-mailed to the address on the bottom of the update screen.

Any member can report discrepancies observed on a bridge. The Coast Guard cannot order the bridge owners to correct a problem unless it is first properly reported. As such, all coxswains and boat crew members are encouraged to check each bridge they are near while on patrol, and use the reporting system to report any problems observed.

The main items to look for on any bridge are:

1. Condition and operation of all lights (must be observed after legal sundown)

2. Condition of fendering system (if present)

3. Legibility of clearance gauges and regulatory sign (if required).

4. Anything that hangs down from the bridge, or extends out from the fenders that could contact a boat/ship in the channel

Help Us Flesh Out The Database

The database already has an entry for each bridge in the district, but now we need to have the detailed information fleshed out for those bridges that have not yet had their details updated. Since the system is brand new, the database is still in the process of getting details listed for some of the bridges.   All members can help with adding details to the database as follows:

• Help get the proper division listed for each bridge in its AOR. Log into the system, and select "All" at the Division prompt at the top of the main bridge selection page. Any bridge listed a Division "0" still needs to have the proper division listed. Just select "Report Discrepancy" and you will be taken to the update page where you can enter the proper division number.

  The division number is only used to sort and display the bridges for a given division.  For bridges on the border between two division, it doesn't matter which division is listed for that bridge. Any member can still report discrepancies for any bridge in the district, regardless what division the bridge is listed in.

• Help identify the Class for each Bridge.  In the new system, bridges are classified in one of four categories:

  • Class 1 - ocean going ships (e.g., Verrazano Narrows or Bronx-Whitestone Bridges)

  • Class 2 - commercial tugs/barges, but not large ships (e.g., Atlantic Beach Bridge)

  • Class 3 - recreational traffic only

  • Class 4 - no marine traffic other than canoes/kayaks or small outboards

  The CG is not interested in our checking the Class 4 bridges. As such, the main bridge selection window defaults to not displaying these smaller bridges, but this can only work if the proper bridge class is entered into the data base. Bridges that have not yet been 'classed' will show with a blank in the class column. You can help flesh out the data base for your area by the following process:

  • Select "All" on the main bridge selection screen to show all bridges in the district

  • Identify any bridge in your AOR that has a blank field in the "Class" column

  • Select "Report Discrepancy" to bring up the update screen where you can enter the Class number.

• Fill in Additional Bridge Information. The database can list the towns on each side of a bridge (fields Location and Location2), Lat/Lon, local names for the bridges, as well as a host of additional information. By using the "Report Discrepancy" link, you can get the update screen to help populate this additional data.

• Identify Facilities Above the Bridge. One of the priorities the CG bridge office is asking from the Auxiliary is for members to identify marine facilities that are upstream of any bridge. The CG would use this to contact facility owners when there are problems with a bridge. For each facility, we need the name, type of facility (marina, oil terminal, etc.), address and phone number (if known), and the approximate number of boats docked at that facility.

• Make sure all bridges are listed.  If any bridge in the database has been replaced or destroyed, enter a discrepancy report to say so and we'll get it noted in the database. If any bridge in your AOR is not listed in the database, contact ADSO-NS Bridge Kevin Redden so the bridge can be added.
   

Any questions about, or reports of problems with the system should be addressed to ADSO-NS Bridge Kevin Redden.