Barges break free on Ohio River in Pittsburgh; marina damage extensive, Sewickley Bridge reopens again

More than two dozen barges broke loose Friday night and floated uncontrolled down the Ohio River, causing extensive damage to at least two marinas and prompting temporary closures of the West End, McKees Rocks and Sewickley bridges.

Twenty-six barges broke free about 11:35 p.m. Friday from a location near the West End Bridge at mile marker 1 on the Ohio River, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Twenty-three barges were loaded with dry cargo — 22 had coal, one fertilizer — and three were empty, said Coast Guard spokesman Eyobe Mills.

By late Saturday afternoon, all three bridges reopened.

All but one of the 26 loose barges had been located, Mills said. One barge remains unaccounted for.

As of late Friday, 11 barges had been pinned against the river bank by Brunot Island and were being held by a tugboat, police said.

Another 14 barges continued to float down the river, with eight being lodged against the Emsworth Lock and Dam and six others traveling over the dam toward the Dashield Lock and Dam.

A preliminary review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not found any damage to either structure, according to spokesperson Carol Vernon. Emsworth Lock and Dam had its gate raised at the time, preventing a collision.

For the Dashield Lock and Dam, which doesn’t have a gate, Vernon said the concern is the bottom of a barge damaging the structure as it passes over. No damage was immediately found.

Authorities also shut down train traffic on a rail bridge to Brunot Island, but that bridge reopened later Saturday morning.

Mills said it’s unclear how the barges broke free.

No hazardous materials were on board any of the barges, and no pollution has been reported. The Environmental Protection Agency did not immediately return requests for comment.

Mills said no injuries have been reported.

Marinas hit hard

However, at least two Pittsburgh marinas suffered extensive damage.

Peggy’s Harbor marina, on Liverpool Street in the city’s Chateau neighborhood, was partially wrecked.

Justin Gilles, 42, a boat owner from Robinson who has docked at Peggy’s for about 12 years, called the scene “carnage” as he surveyed the wreckage Saturday.

Splintered wood and twisted metal littered the marina area. Gilles estimated that about 60 to 70 slips — roughly half the marina’s capacity — were destroyed.

“This season is lost,” Gilles said, guessing it might take a year to rebuild. “My boat’s in the yard right now, thank God.”

He said had the barges broken loose several weeks from now, the damage might have been catastrophic because some people sleep on their boats.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Gilles said.

Some damage to Peggy’s Harbor Marina in Pittsburgh caused by loose barges that have since floated further down the Ohio river pic.twitter.com/sFpDQFU7po

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) April 13, 2024

Branchport Boat Club, located immediately downriver of Peggy’s, lost about 90 boat slips because of the barges, said boat club manager Tony Ravida.

He said the boat club won’t be able to open this year because of the damage.

“It is like losing a member of the family, now we won’t be able to open for business this year,” Ravida said.

The McKees Rocks Bridge had closed out of precaution in the event the barges hit the span’s substructure, McKees Rocks police said. The bridge reopened at about midnight.

The Sewickley Bridge in Moon was closed early Saturday morning for several hours as barges passed below. It was closed again Saturday afternoon from roughly 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to allow another unmanned barge to pass, according to township police.

About a dozen barges marooned in Pittsburgh’s North Side just under the Brunot Island Bridge. Appear to be filled with coal. They being kept in place by the coast guard pic.twitter.com/ck3sB1lUVa

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) April 13, 2024

River traffic on the Ohio is limited until the missing barge is located, said Mills, waterways safety manager for the Coast Guard.

“With the high waters, we do advise people to stay out of the area,” Mills said.

The Coast Guard has taken over as the lead authority, Pittsburgh police said.

The barges are owned by Campbell Transportation Co. They were located on the left bank of the Ohio River, just downstream from the West End Bridge, before breaking loose.

Vernon said the company informed the Corps the barge is likely located between Emsworth Lock and Dam and Dashield Lock and Dam.

Gary Statler, Campbell Transportation’s senior vice president for river operations, said the company is investigating how the barges broke free.

“We had significant flooding and strong currents, and that creates challenging conditions,” Statler said.

The National Weather Service reported Friday night that Pittsburgh had reached minor flood stage, with crests expected early Saturday morning.

“From there, water will make its way downstream into the Ohio where minor/moderate flooding is forecast,” the weather service said in a social media post.

Runaway barges not uncommon

It’s not uncommon for barges to break free from towboats or riverbanks during flooding that raises water levels and increases the speed of a river, Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen Shanley told TribLive last month.

It occurs almost every year in Western Pennsylvania, he said.

A number of factors dictate how watercraft could damage bridges, including weight, speed and impact, he said.

In addition to the Coast Guard, the state police and various other law enforcement, EMS agencies and fire departments in neighboring jurisdictions were notified.