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Allegheny Lock 6 Closed Until Sept. 2
Monday, August 29, 2011
 The US Army Corps of Engineers released a statement this past Friday explaining the unexpected closure of Allegheny River Lock 6. The BoatPittsburgh.com staff contacted the USACE Public Affairs office and were told that they expect the Lock to be open on Friday, September 2, 2011 in time for the Labor Day weekend. This was also confirmed in an official Navigation Notice (11-27) released today, Monday, September 29th. Please read the following release for more information about the closure:
PITTSUBURGH - The US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is alerting boaters, tow vessels and riverside businesses that unexpected maintenance issues at Allegheny River Lock and Dam 6 near Clinton, Pa. will close service at the lock through at least Saturday evening. Maintenance crews are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible but may not have the problem fixed this weekend.
Please follow the district at www.facebook.com/PittsburghUSACE or www.twitter.com/PittsburghUSACE to receive timely updates on the lock service status.
Maintenance crews were on schedule to finish planned repairs when they discovered a cracked component on a hydraulic line while installing an electric pump. The line operates valves that empty and fill the lock chamber. Welders and machinists are fabricating the part.
“Unfortunately we can’t just pull parts off the shelf for these eighty-year-old locks,” said Dave Sneberger, the district’s navigation chief. “If we don’t fix it, the line could blow out and we’d have an oil leak.”
The district has scant funds to repair unexpected maintenance breakdowns at the aging, Depression-era Allegheny River navigation facilities. That situation will worsen next year. Service reductions are anticipated with the passage of the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget which would cut funding for operation and maintenance of the Allegheny River navigation system in half, from the President’s FY11 budget of $8.4 million to $4 million in FY12. Staffing at the locks will be reduced from 43 people to 25.
The district is currently finishing out this year’s maintenance cycle on the Allegheny River, which constitutes the last scheduled repairs for the facilities into the near future. Should Allegheny River lock machinery or components fail in Fiscal Year 2012 – which begins Oct. 1 -- the district will not have the funds to fix the issue unless it presents a safety or public health hazard.
The necessary reductions in service will keep six of eight locks open to recreational traffic while eliminating service for pleasure boaters at the two uppermost locks. Commercial traffic will have access to all locks, some by appointment, and hours at the first three locks will drop from 24-hour service to two 8-hour shifts.
Submitted by:
Staff
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