If you are traveling between the upper and lower Potomac River for your weekend plans, you need to be aware of this Notice to Mariners. Captain Spike ran this down for us, so we’re just gonna quote him here:
Notice To Mariners!!!!
Those travelling to points south of the Nice /301 Bridge please pay heed to the following verified restrictions. I spoke with the bridge construction offices today to verify as well as the Naval officials at Dahlgren regarding firing exercises.
There will be NO live fire exercises this week, weekend, and into the week following.
The Channel traversing the Nice/301 bridge will be closed from 8 am Friday June 30 to Sunday July 2 for demolition of the center span.10-1030am Friday June 30 the US Coast Guard will inspect and approve a discretionary Captains channel WEST of the 3 center spans of the bridge. Approx. 200 yards to the Virginia side a channel of about 30 feet depth and 150 yards wide will allow vessels to pass at the Captains discretion.
A tow/tug vessel by the name of Katan will be standing by and monitoring VHF channels 13 and 16 to communicate with all vessels to ensure safe passage. If you have questions please contact them prior to making the pass.
There is still a NO WAKE zone approximately 1/3 of a mile before and after the bridge, please observe these markers.
These restrictions are for our safety and theirs so please respect the rules and have a safe voyage.
Captain Spike Pearson
So don’t freak out, you can still reach your destination. It’s just going to be a little different course on Friday!
