Seasonal Lock Schedule

With summer approaching, recreational boaters will once again be enjoying Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers along with the navigation industry. With that in mind, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be changing the hours of operation of locks on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers with seasonal schedules beginning in the spring.

2011 Allegheny River Lock Schedule

2011 Monongahela Lock Schedule

2011 Ohio River Lock Schedule

Schedule of Operations for 2011 Allegheny River Locks

  1. Allegheny River Lock 2, C.W. Bill Young Lock (Formerly Lock 3), and Lock 4 will continue to operate 24 hours daily.

  2. Allegheny River Lock 5 will operate on the following schedule

    Date Days Hours
    March 13, 2011 through
    September 30, 2011    		 Daily 7:00 A.M. to 10:30 P.M.


  3. Allegheny River Lock 6, Lock 7, and Lock 8 will operate on the following schedule:

    Date Days Hours
    May 1, 2011 through
    September 30, 2011    		 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays 12:30 PM to 8:10 PM
      Mondays 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
      Tuesday thru Thursday CLOSED


  4. Allegheny River Lock 9 will operate May 2, 2010 through October 23, 2010 on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 12:30 PM to 8:10 PM

    (Note: Under unusual circumstances, clearance lockages will be authorized for groups of recreational boaters or individual boaters, if an emergency situation warrants.)

    SPECIAL NOTICE: The President’s Fiscal Year 12 budget focuses on directing funds to programs that provide the highest return on investment. To accomplish this, federal agencies were required to identify low-priority programs for elimination or reduction by 50 percent. For its navigation program, the Corps of Engineers identified low commercial use projects. Nationally, the President’s FY12 budget provides $76 million for the Corps' low use navigation projects compared to FY11’s $140 million. Locally, the Pittsburgh District’s Allegheny River system received $4 million inthe FY12 budget compared to more than $8 million in FY11. This funding is $1.9 million less than what we need to maintain the current level of service; it requires the elimination of significant lock maintenance of the system. This reduction in funding will greatly impact the service we can provide to Allegheny River users, especially recreational boaters. Though commercial vessels will have access to all locks, recreational boaters may see elimination or significant reduction in services at Allegheny River locks in FY12 which starts 1 October 2011.

  5. Except for the times noted in paragraph 7 below, commercial operators desiring appointment lockages during non-operating hours at Locks 5 through 9 must make arrangements at least 24 hours in advance by calling the Locks and Dams Branch Office or Lock 6 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, at one of the following telephone numbers:
            a. Locks and Dams Branch Office, (412) 395-7650
            b. Lock 6, Allegheny River, (724) 295-3775

  6. No appointment lockages will be made between 11:00 P.M. and 06:30 A.M. at Locks 5 through 9. No appointments will be accepted for lockages that would occur during this 7-1/2 hour period.

  7. Waterway users are cautioned that warning signs and pillar buoys will not be set until approximately mid-May. Since the navigation aids may, at times, move off station during the year because of river conditions, boaters must approach all locks with extreme care, especially when proceeding downstream. Everyone is urged to consult their navigation charts to be absolutely sure of the landmarks when approaching a lock and dam.

  8. All waters immediately above and below each dam are designated as restricted areas year round. Boaters, fishermen, divers, and others are cautioned not to enter the restricted areas, as designated by the signs and “KEEP OUT” buoys, as these areas are extremely hazardous. Upstream of the dam, currents may draw boats into the dam. Downstream of the dam, backwash and turbulence from the dam may draw a boat into the dam, causing it to capsize.

Schedule of Operations for 2011 Monongahela River Locks

  1. Braddock L/D, Lock 3, Lock 4, Maxwell L/D, Grays Landing L/D and Point Marion L/D, Monongahela River will continue to operate 24 hour daily.

  2. Morgantown L/D, Monongahela River: Effective April 3, 2011 through October 29, 2011 the lock will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and Fridays from 7:00 AM to 6:20 PM. Additionally, effective April 3 through May 21, the lock will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Then, beginning May 22 through October 29, the Saturday, Sunday and Holiday hours will be from 10:30 AM to 6:20 PM.

  3. Hildebrand L/D and Opekiska L/D: Effective April 3, 2010 through May 21, 2010, the locks will be open on Mondays from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, on Fridays from 10:30 AM to 6:20 PM, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Then beginning May 23 through October 29, the locks will be open Mondays from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, and Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from 10:30 AM to 6:20 PM.

    (Note: Under unusual circumstances, appointment lockages will be authorized for groups of recreational boaters or individual boaters, if an emergency situation warrants.)

  4. Except for the times noted in the paragraph below, commercial operators desiring appointment lockage during non-operating hours at Morgantown, Hildebrand and Opekiska must make arrangements at least 24 hours in advance by calling Point Marion L/D (724-725-5289 or 724-725-1283) between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM.

  5. No appointement lockages will be made between 11:00 PM and 6:30 AM at Opekiska L/D, Hildebrand L/D, or Morgantown L/D. No appointments will be accepted for lockages that would occur during this 7 1/2 hour period.

  6. As always, for this appointment procedure to operate smoothly, communications between the vessels and the locks must be continuous. In this way, neither vessels nor lock operator should experience any extended waiting times when unexpected conditions cause a vessel to vary from its scheduled appointment. Captains or pilots on the vessel should also communicate immediately with the lock personnel at Point Marion L/D when fog or other river conditions will delay their arrival. In an emergency, if contact can not be made directly with Point Marion L/D, the message can be sent through Grays Landing L/D (724-583-8304) or Maxwell L/D (724-785-5027).

  7. Waterway users are cautioned that warning signs and pillar buoys will not be set until approximately mid-May. Since the navigation aids may, at time, move off station during the year because of river conditions, boaters must approach all locks with extreme care, expecially when proceeding downstream. Everyone is urged to consult their navigation charts to be absolutely sure of the landmarks when approaching a lock and dam.

  8. All waters immediately above and below each dam are designated as restricted areas year round. Boaters, fishermen, divers, and other are cautioned not to enter the restricted areas, as designated by the signs and "KEEP OUT" buoys, as these areas are extremely hazardous. Upstream of the dam, currents may draw boats into the dam. Downstream of the dam, backwash and turbulenc from the dam may draw a boat into the dam, causing it to capsize.


Schedule of Operations for 2011 Ohio River Locks

  1. All Ohio River Locks will continue to operate 24 hours daily.





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