Morgantown Dominion
Post
4 April 2007
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be switching to longer summer hours for the locks at Opekiska Locks and Dam (shown), Hildebrand Locks and Dam, and the Morgantown Locks and Dam, all on the Monongahela River. - Bob Gay/The Dominion Post
Staff at the Morgantown, Hildebrand and Opekiska locks and dams have switched to summerseason hours, said Richard C. Lockwood, chief, operations division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District.
These three locks on the Upper Monongahela River operate on restricted hours year-round. The hours are extended from April to October each year to provide extra time for recreational boaters to use the river.
The extended hours are in effect from April 1-Oct. 28.
The Morgantown lock will be open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 7 a.m.-6:20 p.m. Friday.
From April 1-May 25, the Morgantown lock will operate from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. From May 26-Oct. 28, the lock will operate from 10:30 a.m.-6:20 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
The Hildebrand and Opekiska locks, south of town on the river, have completely different hours, Lockwood reported.
From April 1-May 25, both locks will be open from 8 a.m.-noon Mondays, 10:30 a.m.-6:20 p.m. Fridays and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
From May 26-Oct. 28, these hours will be in effect for Hildebrand and Opekiska locks: 8 a.m.-noon Mondays, and 10:30 a.m.-6:20 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Under unusual circumstances, appointment lockages will be authorized for groups of recreational boaters or individual boaters, if an emergency situation warrants.
No appointment lockages will be made between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. at Opekiska, Hildebrand or Morgantown. The Point Marion (Pa.) Lock and Dam and all locks and dams on the Mon River north of Point Marion operate 24 hours daily.
Warning signs and pillar buoys will not be set until mid-May, Lockwood reported. Boaters are advised to approach all locks with extreme care, especially when proceeding downstream. Released at the same time was the seasonal schedule for locks on the Allegheny River. The Allegheny meets the Monongahela at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. Allegheny River Lock 2 and Lock 4 will continue to operate 24 hours daily. Allegheny River Locks 5, 6, 7 and 8 will operate on this schedule: May 4-Oct. 28, 8 a.m.-noon Mondays, and 12:30-8:10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. These locks are closed Tuesday-Thursday.
Allegheny River Lock 9, due to operational failure, will be closed to navigation until the end of May, when repairs are to be complete.
When it reopens, hours will be from 12:30-8:10 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.