Big machines and bigger innovations are hard at work upgrading one of the smallest locks on the Ohio River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District is going big — literally — at Montgomery Locks and Dam, where one of the region’s most ambitious infrastructure projects is underway: building a new primary lock chamber in place of one roughly half its size.
The new chamber is part of the Upper Ohio Navigation project and aims to conduct major construction at the Emsworth, Dashields, and Montgomery locks and dams — which are nearly a century old and the smallest locks on the entire Ohio River.
The Corps of Engineers constructed the Montgomery facility in 1936 and it continues to play a critical role in regional commerce. Every year, between 12 and 20 million tons of cargo — from fuel to building materials — pass through the facility, supporting the Port of Pittsburgh and the broader inland navigation system.
Although the existing infrastructures have exceeded their 50-year operational life, Montgomery, like others, has undergone significant rehabilitation and modernization by the district throughout the decades. However, continuing to piecemeal maintenance and rehabilitation brings risk and carries steep economic stakes.
A single year-long closure at Montgomery could cost nearly $150 million and force shippers to reroute cargo to more than 100,000 railcars or 400,000 trucks — significantly increasing emissions, congestion and costs.
The upgraded lock chamber is designed not only to support larger commercial tows than the existing river chamber can, but also to reduce delays, increase resiliency, and ensure navigational reliability for decades to come.
“This is a generational investment,” said Jenna Cunningham, the project’s resident engineer. “It’s about modernizing our navigation infrastructure in a way that’s smarter, more reliable and sustainable.”
The initial contract for construction work — nearly $770 million — was awarded in late 2024. Since then, contractors have been mobilizing construction equipment, building key infrastructure such as an on-site concrete batch plant, demolishing the existing lock chamber, and laying the literal groundwork for a 110-foot by 600-foot lock chamber — nearly double the size of the existing chamber. The effort is designed to ensure reliable and efficient navigation along the upper Ohio River.
Since the initial contract award, contractors have installed temporary field offices, erected fencing and power infrastructure, constructed new stormwater drainage systems, and have begun demolishing the lower guard wall. The contractors have started constructing the foundations for batch plant equipment. Building the batch plant on-site, along with a quality assurance and control lab, enables the contractors to mix at least 150 cubic yards of concrete per hour, produce high-quality concrete, and minimize logistical delays.
Along the middle lock walls, contractors are installing inclinometers — long, vertical instruments that detect subtle shifts in the earth.
“These inclinometers are designed to measure any horizontal movement of the wall during and after construction,” said Andrew Aceves, a geologist with the district. “Each one is installed in a cored shaft that extends several dozen feet along the lock wall, with outer casings secured to ensure long-term integrity.”
More than 50 inclinometers will continuously monitor the lock wall during construction to alert engineers to any movement by providing real-time updates through an automated system. The system is essential for preventing unintended structural shifts and ensuring industry vessels can continue to lock through during construction.
According to Cunningham, the current activities are part of the “startup and mobilization” phase and are roughly 40 percent complete.
“This is one of the main benefits of receiving bulk funding at the outset,” Cunningham said. “Because we’re using a single contractor with a base-plus-options structure, we’re minimizing the need for repeated mobilization, separate contract awards and long procurement timelines.”