Bridges reopen after 26 barges broke loose and floated down Ohio River, damaging a marina
Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2024, 03:33 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN
Updated 1:39 PM EDT, Sat April 13, 2024
CNN — A pair of Pittsburgh-area bridges reopened Saturday morning after 26 barges broke loose the previous night and floated uncontrolled down the Ohio River, damaging a marina, authorities said. The bridges, about 2.5 miles apart, were closed after the barges – most of which were loaded with dry cargo – broke free after record-breaking rainfall Friday night, according to authorities.
The McKees Rocks Bridge reopened Saturday after it shut down out of “an abundance of caution,” McKees Rocks police said shortly after midnight, authorities said. The bridge was closed but no damage was found after an inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation bridge unit, said PennDOT spokesperson Steve Cowan.
The West End Bridge also was closed in both directions and rail traffic was shut down on the rail bridge to Brunot Island, according to Pittsburgh city officials. Col. Nicholas Melin, commander US Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District said in a statement Saturday that “all bridges are currently open for vehicular traffic.”
“We had no reports of the West End Bridge being hit,” Cowan said Saturday. “Governmental authorities have informed us that all bridges are currently open for vehicular traffic,” Campbell Transportation Company, owner and operator of the barges, said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/13/us/pittsburgh-barges-bridges-ohio-river/index.html
Full headline: 26 barges break loose and float down Ohio River, causing damage and prompting bridge closures in Pittsburgh, officials say
They have had flooding over there. Below static image from KDKA - https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/more-than-20-barges-break-loose-on-ohio-river-recovery-efforts-underway/
Apparently those barges that were loaded were carrying coal.
Article updated.
Original article/headline -
Updated 3:18 AM EDT, Sat April 13, 2024
CNN — A marina in Pittsburgh sustained extensive damage after 26 barges, most of which were loaded with dry cargo, broke loose late Friday night and floated uncontrolled down the Ohio River, according to authorities.
Two Pittsburgh-area bridges about 2.5 miles apart were closed after the barges broke free. The McKees Rocks Bridge was shut down out of “an abundance of caution,” McKees Rocks police said shortly after midnight. “They may or may not come into contact with sub-structure but we are not willing to take the risk,” police said of the barges.
The West End Bridge was also closed in both directions and rail traffic was shut down on the rail bridge to Brunot Island, according to Pittsburgh city officials. No hazardous materials were on board the barges, according to the city. Of the 26 loose barges, 23 were loaded and carrying dry cargo, including coal, according to the news release.
Eleven of the barges were located and pinned against the river bank by Brunot Island, according to a news release from the City of Pittsburgh. They were being held by a tugboat. Meanwhile, 14 continued down the river and six have gone over the Emsworth Dam, the city said.
= new reply since forum marked as read
However the water is so high right now that it's actually spilling over the dams in a few places. Not such a big deal when that happens because it's usually only a few hours of overspill. However some of these barges went over the Emsworth dam because of the high water. That's kind of a big deal, and it's a threat to other bridges farther down the Ohio.
I can't remember ever having 26 barges loose simultaneously.
These barges aren't pushing weight like that container ship in Baltimore. Compared to that big-ass container ship, these barges are like floating log rafts. The danger is that nobody is steering them.
Still waiting if it should be labeled as 'suspicious', which we don't know yet. There is such a thing as coincidence. Plus, this falls into what I call 'The Ring Syndrome'... which refers to how all these 'ghost' channels suddenly had videos of ghosts but they ALL looked like the girl from the movie. It was laughable, and yet it was working. Since out of control water craft and bridges are in the news...
given the unique terrain there too!
Plus the Phillies and Pirates have been playing in a series here so.... 
