January 29, 2021 By Shelley Byrne
A project to modernize and improve navigation on the Monongahela River in southwestern Pennsylvania is now 68-70 percent complete after more than 25 years of work.
The Lower Mon Project could be substantially complete as early as late 2023 or early 2024, said Stephen Frost, project manager for the Pittsburgh Engineer District. The project involves replacing the fixed-crest dam at Locks and Dam 2 at Braddock with a gated dam, removing Locks and Dam 3 at Elizabeth, and constructing a new, larger lock at Locks and Dam 4 at Charleroi. Locks 2, 3 and 4 on the Monongahela in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are the three oldest currently operating navigation facilities in the country and experience the highest volume of commercial traffic on the Monongahela River Navigation System.