Pittsburgh’s Public Safety office said 26 barges broke loose and were floating uncontrolled down the Ohio River late Friday night.Most of the barges were loaded with dry cargo, like coal, and three of the barges were empty. There have been no reports of injuries, but Peggy’s Harbor marina on the city’s North Side stained “extensive damage,” officials said.According to our partners at the Trib, another marina just downriver of Peggy’s, Branchport Boat Club, lost nearly 90 boat slips because of the runaway barges. As of Friday night, 11 barges were pinned against the river bank near Brunot Island. Fourteen more continued down the river, with six going over the Emsworth Dam. Images posted online show several barges resting along the side of the dam.Officials with Campbell Transportation, which owns the barges, said the company is investigating how the barges broke free.“The incident occurred under high water conditions on the rivers resulting in strong currents due to flooding in the area,” Gary Statler, Campbell Transportation’s senior vice president for river operations, said in a statement. He added that the company’s “immediate priority is ensuring public safety and minimizing any potential environmental impact.”Statler said Campbell Transportation was actively working with the Coast Guard, state police, PennDOT and local agencies to assess the situation. Discussing the damage from the barges, Branchport Boat Club manager Tony Ravida told the Trib, “It is like losing a member of the family. Now we won’t be able to open for business this year.”Both the West End and McKees Rocks Bridges had closed overnight but reopened shortly after midnight.This incident follows Thursday’s and Friday’s storms that saw floodwaters return to the Pittsburgh region. Combined with last week’s heavy rain, this is Pittsburgh’s wettest start to spring on record, according to the National Weather Service. This is not the first time barges have flown down Pittsburgh’s rivers uncontrolled, though the potential risks to bridge security have come under increased scrutiny following the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.
Pittsburgh’s Public Safety office said 26 barges broke loose and were floating uncontrolled down the Ohio River late Friday night.
Most of the barges were loaded with dry cargo, like coal, and three of the barges were empty. There have been no reports of injuries, but Peggy’s Harbor marina on the city’s North Side stained “extensive damage,” officials said.
According to our partners at the Trib, another marina just downriver of Peggy’s, Branchport Boat Club, lost nearly 90 boat slips because of the runaway barges.
As of Friday night, 11 barges were pinned against the river bank near Brunot Island. Fourteen more continued down the river, with six going over the Emsworth Dam. Images posted online show several barges resting along the side of the dam.
Officials with Campbell Transportation, which owns the barges, said the company is investigating how the barges broke free.
“The incident occurred under high water conditions on the rivers resulting in strong currents due to flooding in the area,” Gary Statler, Campbell Transportation’s senior vice president for river operations, said in a statement. He added that the company’s “immediate priority is ensuring public safety and minimizing any potential environmental impact.”
Statler said Campbell Transportation was actively working with the Coast Guard, state police, PennDOT and local agencies to assess the situation.
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Discussing the damage from the barges, Branchport Boat Club manager Tony Ravida told the Trib, “It is like losing a member of the family. Now we won’t be able to open for business this year.”
Both the West End and McKees Rocks Bridges had closed overnight but reopened shortly after midnight.
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This incident follows Thursday’s and Friday’s storms that saw floodwaters return to the Pittsburgh region. Combined with last week’s heavy rain, this is Pittsburgh’s wettest start to spring on record, according to the National Weather Service.
This is not the first time barges have flown down Pittsburgh’s rivers uncontrolled, though the potential risks to bridge security have come under increased scrutiny following the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.
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