PrintOct. 18--The Allegheny River No. 2 lock and dam near the Highland Park Bridge would receive $1.7 million for much needed repairs under a bill being considered by Congress.
The money would come from the House 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which must pass the full Senate and be signed by President Obama.
The federal money would pay to repair the lock gates and further investigate the condition of the heavily used facility. Rapidly deteriorating, lock and dam No. 2 has had no major renovations since it opened for navigation in 1934, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
"A lot of locks and dams are in dire need of critical maintenance and this is a good beginning," said Dan Jones, spokesman for Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh Division, which has about a $1 billion backlog of repairs and maintenance of locks and dams in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
The navigation system on the Allegheny River in particular has been starved for maintenance and repair dollars because of dwindling federal funds and its low priority in importance compared to the Monongahela River, which carries much more commercial traffic. A good chunk of federal money is doled out based on commercial usage.
Although the Highland Park Dam has the highest number of lockages in the country, it's primarily recreational, with no significant commercial use, and receives little funding.
"We look at the risk of all the deteriorating conditions and make a decision, and there simply aren't enough funds to go around," said Jeff Hawk, Corps spokesman in Pittsburgh.
This year, the Army Corps received about $6.8 million in federal stimulus money for repairs on the Allegheny's decaying locks and dams, which falls short of the $49 million in "critical" maintenance needed, officials say.
The $1.7 million would help officials better investigate the condition of Lock and Dam No. 2, according to Jones.
The Army Corps would seal off upstream and downstream water and drain the lock chamber to repair its gates and conduct a general inspection.
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