Pittsburgh District to host renaming ceremony for Locks and Dam 4

The Pittsburgh District constructed a new lock chamber and control tower at the John P. Murtha Locks and Dam in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, as part of the Lower Monongahela River Project. (Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)

The Pittsburgh Engineer District will host a ribbon-cutting and renaming ceremony for Locks and Dam 4 on the Monongahela River near Charleroi, Pa., August 28.

The ceremony celebrates the culmination of a 20-year-effort by the district and its partners to build a modernized, larger lock chamber at Locks and Dam 4. Congress has renamed the facility in honor of the late Congressman John P. Murtha. The district began construction on the new lock chamber in 2004 and completed it earlier this year as part of the Lower Monongahela River Construction Project.

The new chamber measures 84 feet wide by 720 feet long and replaces an older and smaller lock, expanding the facility’s capacity to support commercial navigation throughout the region and the nation.

The project involves work at three navigation facilities on the lower Monongahela River that experience the highest volume of commercial traffic throughout the entire navigation system. The project will return more than $200 million in estimated annual benefits to the region and nation by saving maintenance and operations costs and transportation time.

“As we rename this facility in honor of Congressman John P. Murtha, we recognize a man whose legacy of service and dedication to this region is unparalleled,” said Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the Pittsburgh District. “His military service was just the beginning of a lifelong commitment to public service.”

Murtha played a vital role in the economic stability of the 12^th Congressional District. Following the 1977 flood in Johnstown, Pa., he worked to combat high unemployment rates by diversifying industries within the community after the steel industry left the region.

“His impact stretches across the globe, but his heart was here, and he was always asking, ‘What more can I do to help?’” said John Murtha Jr., the son of the late congressman. “My dad knew the three rivers were integral to western Pennsylvania’s economy and he worked tirelessly to support and fund navigation improvements for the region. His years of effort and support opened countless opportunities for the Monongahela River.”

More than a dozen government and public facilities, including university buildings, medical centers, and a U.S. Navy ship have been renamed in Murtha’s honor.

The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 authorized the renaming of the facility in honor of Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and represented Pennsylvania’s 12^th Congressional District.

The navigation facility, formerly the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 4, was constructed in 1931 and underwent significant rehabilitation in 1963.

The new lock chamber is more than double the size of the previous lock, which measured 360 feet long by 56 feet wide.

Over the course of 20 years, the new lock construction required 14 separate contracts, 250,000 cubic yards of concrete and 13 million pounds of reinforced steel for rebar. It also deepened the navigation channel by dredging 1.1 million cubic yards of soil from the river.

The project increased the facility’s locking capacity from six standard barges to nine, or six jumbo barges, in one pass. Barges are optimal for moving large amounts of commodities such as petroleum, grain, coal, or other aggregate on the river. One barge has the same capacity as 70 semi-trucks on the road or 14 rail cars. Transporting commodities on the waterways is four times less expensive than by trucks and 33% cheaper than by rail.

“The new lock will ensure reliable navigation on the lower Monongahela River for the next century,” Melin said. “It incorporates innovative technology that paves the way for the potential remote operation of the lock in the future.”

The chamber can hold more than 20 million gallons of water, equivalent to more than 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The Pittsburgh District operates 23 locks and dams on the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers, saving shippers and consumers approximately $4 billion in transportation costs compared to other methods such as by road or rail. One of the locking facilities, located in Elizabeth, Pa., is currently being removed as part of the Lower Monongahela River Project.