Allegheny River closed to traffic because of icy conditions

When waterways like the Allegheny River freeze, there is no getting through — at least until the ice starts to melt.  

"Currently, we have a safety zone in place for the Allegheny River," said Lionel Babin, who works for the U.S. Coast Guard in Pittsburgh. "The impact to it is relatively low as it is because the river is frozen. Most of the industry had already paused operations. That's why we at the Coast Guard, in conjunction with the Waterways Association of Pittsburgh, we came to the same conclusion that the river is currently not navigable and it's a safety issue for mariners in place."

According to the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, the Pittsburgh Port District encompasses 13 counties and over 200 miles of navigable waterways. Also, Pittsburgh is the fifth-busiest inland port in the nation, handling over 15.5 million tons of cargo, according to data from 2020 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

While the Allegheny River is currently closed to boats and barges from mile marker 1 up to mile marker 72 until March 1, both the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers remain open.

Still, that doesn't help Nicholas Enterprises Incorporated and its Freeport terminal at milepost 29 on the Allegheny River.

"We do have some business right now that is not barge-related, so we can keep our guys somewhat occupied," said Matt Drohan, president of Freeport Terminals. "But the primary source of our revenue does come off the Allegheny River, and we will just have to wait this out and hope that come March we can be back up and running again."

The Coast Guard says it will continue to monitor river and ice conditions. Everyone is hoping that in a month, the Allegheny will be back open and back in business.