Anglers threaten to bolt over Duluth Lift Bridge plan
By Peter Passi
Duluth News Tribune
Duluth, Minn. (AP) -- Capt. Barry LeBlanc has been operating a charter fishing service out of Duluth's Minnesota Slip for 11 years now and said he'd like to continue to do so, but a new operating policy for the Aerial Lift Bridge could drive him across the harbor to Superior.
"If the city won't show us any flexibility, I'll probably go to Barker's Island," LeBlanc said.
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LeBlanc and other operators of charter fishing boats moored in Duluth have asked the city to be exempted from a policy that would limit the times that large vessels, such as their own, can transit the Duluth entry. Under the terms of a new policy proposed to take effect this shipping season, the Aerial Lift Bridge would be raised every half-hour between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., instead of lifting on demand as it does now. All but the largest commercial ships - lakers and salties weighing 300 gross tons or more - would need to schedule their arrivals and departures accordingly.
Exceptions also would be made when dangerous weather conditions threaten or when medical emergencies arise.
Dave Poulin, president of the Park Point Community Club, which backs the new proposed rules, said growing marine and road traffic has resulted in summer gridlock for his neighborhood.
"It's a serious safety issue," said City Councilor Sharla Gardner, a strong supporter of a resolution that would put the proposed new rules in place and reduce the number of lifts by an estimated 20 percent. She predicts the prospective new schedule would improve traffic flow and result in less wear and tear on the bridge.
"You get numb to the traffic after a while, but I realized the situation was slowly growing out of control," said Ryan Beamer, supervisor of the Aerial Lift Bridge.
He estimated that about 15,000 vehicles will cross the bridge on an average July day this year.
"I wish people could see just how chaotic it gets in July," Beamer said.
But Duluth City Councilor Todd Fedora favors granting the charter captains' request.
"They've already had a rough go of it lately because of gas prices and the economy, and I don't see this helping them any," he said.
Fedora noted a recent study by the Minnesota Sea Grant that estimated Duluth's charter fishing operations generate about $3.5 million in local spending each year.
"I'd hate to force any charter boats to move to Superior and lose those tax revenues," said City Council President Jeff Anderson.
Don Nelson, who has worked 15 years as a Duluth charter captain, fears the new restrictions will upset customers and cost him repeat business.
"If one person in a party was a few minutes late, we would have to wait another half hour to get out," he said.
Capt. Peter Dahl, another charter boat operator, worries about the prospect of a seasick client being made to wait a half hour in misery to return to shore.
Beamer said bridge operators will be free to exercise their discretion in such situations.
LeBlanc predicts that marine traffic will back up as vessels wait for the scheduled lifts, resulting in a potentially dangerous situation and lengthy lifts for the bridge.
"The Duluth Entry is the nastiest on the Great Lakes. The walls are close together, and waves bounce off them," he said. "It's going to be a zoo."
The Duluth City Council tabled the bridge resolution this past week, asking staff to check on whether the U.S. Coast Guard was supportive of granting an exemption to charter operators.
The Coast Guard already had signed off on Duluth's original plans to reduce lifts and hasn't been formally asked to act on any modified proposal, according to Scot Striffler, bridge program manager for the Ninth Coast Guard District, based in Cleveland.
But the Coast Guard has been consulted, Striffler said. "We wouldn't be inclined to grant other exceptions. We think the conditions we already approved are proper."
The Duluth City Council is expected to take up the bridge resolution anew in May.
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Information from: Duluth News Tribune
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
