Locks & dam renamed in honor of John Murtha

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday in memory of the former U.S. congressman.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, area politicians and the public gathered Wednesday morning for a ribbon cutting to commemorate the official opening of the renamed John P. Murtha Locks and Dam.

Formerly Locks and Dam 4 in Monessen/Charleroi, the new construction of this lock has been 20 years in the making. It’s part of the Lower Monongahela River Project, which is looking to improve operations at three navigation facilities near Braddock, Elizabeth and Charleroi.

The Corps began constructing Locks and Dam 4 in 1931, replacing a locks and dam system that had been operating since the late 1800s. It was just downstream from the current location.

In 1963, the locks and dam was reconstructed from a fixed crest to a gated dam, which raised the upstream pool level by six feet. It was completed in 1967, and construction of Charleroi’s new river chamber began in 2004.

The new facility is built to handle the demands of modern commerce, according to Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the Pittsburgh District and the ninth commander on the project. It is 84 feet wide and 720 feet long.

The construction involved 14 separate contracts, 250,000 cubic yards of concrete pumped over the river, 13 million pounds of reinforced steel and the removal of over 1.1 million cubic yards of soil.

The facility’s name changed to John P. Murtha Locks and Dam when the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 authorized the renaming to honor the congressman, who served in the Pennsylvania and U.S. House of Representatives. He holds the record for serving the longest as a Pennsylvania representative in the U.S. House — a “public servant” from 1969 to his death in 2010.

“It’s really thrilling to see everybody that was able to come here today to commemorate this big event,” Melin said. “It’s my honor to welcome you as we dedicate and rename Monongahela River Locks and Dams 4 to John P. Murtha Locks and Dam.

“I was actually talking to his son a little earlier, and he shared with me that his dad never took a day of vacation his entire almost 40-year congressional career. He was committed to delivering for this region every day. The state-of-the-art infrastructure here today reflects John P. Murtha’s vision for a stronger, resilient Western Pennsylvania and has had concrete impact — pun intended.”

Murtha joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952 to serve in the Korean War, volunteered to be an intelligence officer in Vietnam — earning the Bronze Star with Combat “V,” two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry — played a role in economic stability in the 12th Congressional District and worked to combat high unemployment rates after the steel industry left the region.

“Today, we aren’t just here to rename a facility,” Melin said. “We are here to mark a culmination of decades of effort by hundreds of people who have spent long hours, late nights, cold winters, muggy summers like this one, to complete what is now the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ newest and most modern lock chamber.

“It’s a monumental engineering achievement. The Lower Mon Project represents more than 30 years of planning and 20 years of construction. It’s the latest phase in a long history of essential infrastructure improvements along the Monongahela River, which is one of the most vital commercial waterways in the whole United States of America.”

The lock went into service with the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, with the first boat coming in from Campbell Transportation Company, Inc. The U.S. Navy ship named after Murtha was unable to make the ceremony.

Melin thanked the event’s speakers, elected officials, navigation stakeholders, project engineers, management and construction as well as administrative personnel, logisticians, resource managers, divers, everyday workers and the communities along the Lower Monongahela.

He also thanked the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, the Waterways Commission, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Waterways Commission and the Murtha family.

“It’s updating this portion of the river for the next century,” Melin said. “However, the purpose of this project extends well beyond the project’s construction itself. It’s about securing the future of the Monongahela River as a crucial inland navigation transportation route.

“The great new facility you see in front of you today is a testament to the great tradesmen and women who have physically built this new lock chamber. This project is for you and it’s for the people of this region and it gives us a lot of pride to deliver it to you today.”

Guests included John Murtha Jr. and the Murtha family, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Port of Pittsburgh Commission Board Chairman Conor Lamb, state Rep. Eric Davanzo and Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes.

Area engineer for Mega Projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kirk McWilliams, Operations Project manager Alan Nogy, Mega Project Program Manager Steve Fritz, lock master Keith Millstine, employees and retired colonels were also in attendance.

Davis, who grew up along the river in McKeesport, spoke to the audience about the importance of infrastructure in Pennsylvania and the vital role the rivers have in the nation’s economy.

“When we invest in infrastructure, we are investing in our future, and quite frankly, nobody understood that better than Congressman John Murtha,” Davis said. “He was the kind of public servant that I certainly strive to be and I think many of us who embarked in public life.

“He made a huge impact that we can still see today, but he never forgot where he came from. John, I know you are proud of your dad every single day. I want you to know the good people of Pennsylvania are also proud of him as well. This renaming is a testament to his tireless dedication to his constituents and to his country.”

Davis said he is excited for this project to come to fruition, adding that there’s no more fitting way to honor Murtha’s memory.

“He spent his entire career advocating for projects like this in our region. I grew up on these rivers swimming,” Davis said. “I could always see the locks and dams, but never got close enough to actually get on one. This infrastructure is part of what makes Western Pennsylvania great. It’s what built the steel industry and I think the fact we are still doing it today and preserving it for generations to come is special.”

Nogy, who worked at the lock for 17 years and has been the manager for the past six years, said he grew up in North Charleroi and the construction never had an unscheduled closure.

“For me, this is a great day,” Nogy said. “That speaks to the dedication of people who worked here in 2004 to today, that we’re able to keep this one going until the new technology and the modernization we put into this new chamber can be fully used and a benefit to the region.”

The Monongahela River’s locks and dams 2, 3 and 4 in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are the oldest operating navigation facilities on the river, and they experience the highest volume of commercial traffic.

The Pittsburgh District operates 23 locks and dams on the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, with the network of locks and dams saving shippers and consumers $4 billion on transportation costs compared to road and rail and providing $200 million in annual benefits to the region and nation.

Melin said the opening and ribbon cutting is a “tremendous milestone” for the district and the region and has been a number one priority in the Corps of Engineers for a long time. He emphasized that the benefits will be “rolling in,” and said people care about the project.

“Ladies and gentleman, the dedication of this lock and dam is not just a celebration of a completed project, it’s a testament to the perseverance, expertise and commitment of everyone involved in it,” Melin said. “It’s going to serve as a lasting symbol of the team work and spirit of Western Pennsylvania.”