Navigation channel opens at Locks and Dam 3
Courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers
A 100-foot-wide navigation channel was opened Thursday at Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District.
Commercial vessels will now be able to pass through the center of the dam and the first such vessel did so Thursday morning.
The channel has a 56-foot width restriction and a 9-foot draft restriction. Commercial traffic can still use the lock chamber with the 7-foot draft restriction. Recreational vessels are required to use the lock at Elizabeth to avoid interfering with ongoing construction and commercial navigation.
Commercial and recreational vehicles are asked to follow the U.S. Coast Guard’s specified navigation routes, notify lock personnel of incoming traffic, and adhere to proper lock-through procedures.
The original target date for the opening of the channel was Dec. 4. A bipartisan group of lawmakers called for the work to be expedited because of concerns about economic impacts created by shallow water levels at Locks and Dam 3.
The water level became too shallow to accommodate traditional commercial vehicles after initial demolition of the dam on July 10. This prompted the corps to impose navigation restrictions, reducing the amount of commodities moving through the lock by 25%.
“Opening the navigation channel ahead of schedule was a significant achievement,” said Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the Pittsburgh District. “To restore normal navigation along this section of the Monongahela River required an extraordinary effort between key navigation stakeholders, the construction chamber, and the Corps of Engineers. We’re working with our contractors to complete the full channel by December 2024.”
Once the district has completely removed the dam, the river level between the Braddock and John P. Murtha locks and dams will adjust to their authorized elevation of 723.1 feet, about one-half to one foot lower than the river level Thursday.
Locks and Dam 4 in Charleroi was officially renamed in honor of the late Congressman John P. Murtha last week.
The work is part of the overall Lower Monongahela River Project, which was launched in 1994 to modernize locks 2, 3 and 4 in Braddock, Elizabeth and Charleroi.