Q&A session set on final phase of river project
By TAYLOR BROWN
Senior Reporter
tbrown@yourmvi.com
More questions will be answered at a May 16 public meeting as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepares to enter the final phase of its Lower Monongahela River Project.
The project, nearly 30 years in the making, includes construction of the larger lock chamber at Locks and Dam 4 at river mile 41.5 near Charleroi and the replacement of the fixed-crest dam with a gated dam at Locks and Dam 2 in Braddock.
It also includes a $30 million contract with Joseph B. Fay Company of Pittsburgh to remove the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth, which is the project’s next and final phase.
The work under the new contract involves a controlled removal of the locks and dam to equalize the upstream and downstream river levels.
Corps contractors will remove the locks and dam concrete debris and repurpose it to stabilize the facility’s land wall and dam abutment, which will remain in place.
The Corps of Engineers has held past public meetings to help keep residents informed as the process moves forward.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Elizabeth Forward High School to help the community learn more about the project’s progress and future while alleviating any concerns.
It will be an hour-long presentation and question-and-answer session.
Steve Fritz, the district’s mega project program manager, said meetings of this type play a vital role when it comes to large projects.
“Public meetings are important opportunities for communities to learn about, provide feedback, voice concerns and share information about district activities and objectives,” Fritz said.
Locks and Dams 2, 3 and 4 on the Monongahela River in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are the oldest three operating navigations facilities on the river.
At one point, they saw the highest volume of commercial traffic on the entire Mon navigation system.
Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth have been operating since 1907, but the facility is prone to flooding and must therefore be shut down during high-water events.
Removing the dam will create a continuous pool of riverway stretching 30 miles, which will provide a lot of opportunity for communities and residents who use the river for recreation.
After the presentation, stations will be set up for community members to speak with district experts one-on-one about topics such as the history, status, river levels, impact to personal property and what to expect as start dates gets closer.
“Many of the navigation improvements made on our rivers go unnoticed by residents and communities bordering the river,” Fritz said. “However, there will be noticeable changes to river levels in the summer of 2024.”
District contractors will begin bringing down the dam the week of July 8 using explosives to control demolition.
The district will restrict navigation near Elizabeth for at least three days. Work to remove the dam entirely will continue through the end of the year.
“Our primary concern is maintaining safe navigation throughout the demolition phase,” Fritz said.
Until the entire dam is removed, and until the Corps verifies the navigation channel is safe through that area, all traffic will have to continue to go through the lock.
The Pittsburgh District will begin to remove the lock chamber walls next year, and the project is expected to last until 2027.
Removing the dam will raise the river’s water levels by approximately 2 feet for communities between Elizabeth and Braddock.
The river elevation will drop by approximately 3.2 feet between Elizabeth and the dam in Charleroi.
Demolition will result in the pool level reaching 723.7 feet between Charleroi and Braddock.
Work has been done since 1994 to modernize locks 2, 3 and 4 on the lower Mon in Braddock, Elizabeth and Charleroi with more than $1 billion in investments from the federal government to do so.
It started with an initial phase in 2004 that included major work at Locks and Dam 2 in Braddock before moving on to renovations of Locks and Dam 4 in Charleroi, which was recently completed.
Removing Locks and Dam 3 in Elizabeth is the final phase.
“This signifies the culmination of 30 years of engineering and contracting efforts to modernize the navigation facilities on the lower Monongahela River,” Fritz said. “In addition to providing reliable river navigation for the next century, this project will return more than $200 million in annual benefits to the region and nation.”
For more information on the project, visit https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning-Programs-Project-Management/Key-Projects/Lower-Mon-Project.
