Pittsburgh bridge shut as barges break loose on Ohio River

Deccan Herald ^ | 4/13/24 | staff

[CFW]

Authorities in Pittsburgh closed McKees Rocks Bridge as a precaution after several barges broke loose on the Ohio River late Friday. There is a risk that the barges could come into contact with the “substructure” of the bridge, the McKees Rocks Police Department said in a statement early Saturday confirming the closure.

The department said it closed the bridge because it was “not willing to take the risk.” The bridge opened in 1931 and stretches more than 1 mile across the Ohio River. As part of the Blue Belt, the innermost of several roads that loop around Pittsburgh, the bridge connects Pittsburgh and the borough of McKees Rocks.

Pittsburgh authorities were conducting a search for the barges after the first report about 11:25 pm. that several barges were adrift, according to a shift commander at Allegheny County’s 911 center. About 15 to 20 barges were loose, she said.

[CFW]

So how do 15 to 20 barges just miraculously get loose and start floating down the river?

First it was trains, then planes and now ships and barges. Something is up.

[mmichaels1970]

So how do 15 to 20 barges just miraculously get loose and start floating down the river?

I know in Cleveland we had some serious sustained winds that certainly felt like over 50mph. And gusts worse than that. Plus a day of soaking, flooding rain. And since this is Pittsburgh you have the underlying smell to contend with.

[MayflowerMadam]

I wondered if this is the one we use. It isn’t.

[grey_whiskers]

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, third time is enemy action.

[Baldwin77]

I thought the same thing.

[mewzilla]

Looks like it was 26...

https://www.wtae.com/article/26-barges-break-loose-float-uncontrolled-down-ohio-river/60486266

[mewzilla]

23 of those 26 were loaded...

https://pittsburghpa.gov/publicsafety/blotterview/2750

[Celtic Conservative]

Booty-gag is a horrible secretary of transportation. He set the agency on “autopilot” and then just took off to hang out with his husband.

CC

[Oscar in Batangas]

Maybe we are in for a break. Don’t these events happen in threes? ...or does that only apply to airplane crashes?

[linMcHlp]

Incident number 4

[roving]

Food processing plants on fire. Fires at refineries. Planes falling apart. Chicken warehouses burning down. ships colliding into bridges. Now this. Nothing to see here.

[spirited irish]

Something in addition to our rotten oligarchy is beginning to stink to high heaven.

[DownInFlames]

Why not ask some of the 10m illegal s who came across our southern border. Whoops, never mind, we don’t know where they are.

[BenLurkin]

Pittsburgh.

The Paris of Appalachia.

[jimjohn]

Possibly heavy flooding.

[Lisbon1940]

McKees Rocks and McKeesport were named for different McKees.

[Bulwyf]

I learned in the infantry that there is no such this as coincidence.

[logi_cal869]

“break loose”

---

Uh-huh.

/s/s/s/s

[pfflier]

YIKES, OH NO, Here we go, Chilling, Bombshell news...not!!

[Salman]

Getting to be a trend.