Some of the photos of the Edgar Thomson Works include this lock.
The Lower Mon Project was estimated in 2004 to be $750M. (As of Nov 2009, it was up to $1.7B for a completion in 2022. [PortPitt, p1] As of July 2014 it was up to $2.7B for a completion in 2028. [dvids-gate]) It replaced Monongahela River Dam #2 and allows for the removal of Locks and Dam #3 and replacement of Locks #4. [HAER Significance]
A license for a 5.25-MW hydroelectric project was issued in 2015. "The 50-year license authorizes installation of seven 750-kW low-head horizontal modular bulb turbine-generators in a large frame on the upstream face of the project’s left weir. The frame is to contain all generating and control systems and can be removed during maintenance or high water." [hydroreview]
Before the replacement dam was built, it was a fixed weir dam. The mystery structure above the river-side lock existed before the 21st Century work was done.
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| David Gulden posted SHANNOPIN |
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| USACE "Construction of Locks and Dam 2 at this present site was begun in 1902 and completed in 1906. After some 40 years of use, a major rehabilitation of the project was completed in 1953. This work involved reconstruction and enlargement of the lock chambers and adjustment of the length of the dam. Braddock Locks and Dam is part of the Lower Mon Project which has modernized Braddock, is in the process of modernizing Locks and Dam 4, Charleroi, Pa., and will remove Locks and Dam 3, Elizabeth, Pa." |
"It is comprised of a 721 foot gated dam, a 110ft x 720ft land side lock, and a 56gt x 360ft river side lock which provided for a 8.7 foot vertical lift." [PortPitt, p10]
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USACE Pittsburgh District posted What iconic theme park is NOT pictured in this scene, but is just across the river? ANSWER: https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/.../News.../Article/3379656 [This has 23 photos]An aerial view of #Monongahela River Locks and Dam 2 near #Braddock, Pennsylvania. The facility is one of nine navigation structures on the Monongahela River which provide navigation from Fairmont, West Virginia to downtown Pittsburgh. Braddock Locks and Dam is located at River Mile 11.2. Construction began in 1902 and was completed in 1906, with the project going into operation the same year.  by Michel Sauret |
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| Vinnie Opdyke commented on the USACE post View of E.T. [Edgar Thomson] and the locks from the Kennywood Train. |
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| Bob Dranko posted Westinghouse Bridge, Edgar Thompson Works, & Lock 9-88 Phil Jad shared Robert Paul Ruschak: Another one of my pictures. |
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| geotechnics The Lower Mon Project work was finished in 2004 for this dam. They pioneered the technique of floating in dam segments called building "in-the-wet." The two dam segments were built on land in Leetsdale, PA. That technique proved to be bad for the Olmsted Dam. Maybe the currents were not as bad on the Monongahela as they were on the lower Ohio River and that made a big difference. |
The Lower Mon Project was estimated in 2004 to be $750M. (As of Nov 2009, it was up to $1.7B for a completion in 2022. [PortPitt, p1] As of July 2014 it was up to $2.7B for a completion in 2028. [dvids-gate]) It replaced Monongahela River Dam #2 and allows for the removal of Locks and Dam #3 and replacement of Locks #4. [HAER Significance]
Bergmann did the concept study of "in-the-wet" (no cofferdams) options for the $122m dam including the production of some videos. But I could not find the videos. [bergmannpc]
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| USACE via bergmannpc |
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| USACE via bergmannpc |
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| USACE via bergmannpc |
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| LSSE This was the "first of its kind" dam construction method. So Olmsted did not pioneer the in-the-wet technique. And the USACE thought it was a proven concept because it did work on the Monongahela River. In fact, some articles mentioned the awards this project won. |
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| Taylor "Two portions of the dam, consisting of football-field-sized precast hollow-core concrete dam segments, were constructed at an offsite precast yard. The larger of the two sections was 333 feet long, 106 feet wide and 40 feet high. Precast panels were assembled in a large cofferdam basin excavated alongside the Ohio River. The basin was then flooded and the segments floated out into the river. Each segment was towed upstream through two locks before reaching its final destination, approximately 29 miles." |
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| Taylor "The dam sits on 89 drilled shafts 78 inches in diameter and 40-foot-long rock-socketed. When the segments were transported to the site, they were aligned and then submerged in the river to sit on top of the shafts. The structure was then levelled and gaps between the river bottom and the precast unit were filled with concrete. The new dam structure is 82 feet high, about half of which is under water." |
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| Taylor |
But I see no evidence that something was built. Perhaps that is because it was predicted to be uncompetitive: "As proposed by the applicant, the levelized annual cost of operating the project would be $57.96 per MWh, or $21.05/MWh more than the likely cost of alternative power."
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| Satellite |
"The project's average annual electricity generation is estimated to be 32,263 MWh....In the near term the goal is to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy for small hydropower to less than $0.07/kWh to be competitive with existing base-load power sources such as coal-powered power plants." [energy.gov, p2]
In the photo at the top posted by David, the structure above the lock caught my eye. I still have not been able to determine the function of that structure.
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| USACE-dvids, Feb, 2019 "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement." Another indication of how wide spread the flooding was in America in 2019. |
Before the replacement dam was built, it was a fixed weir dam. The mystery structure above the river-side lock existed before the 21st Century work was done.
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| Global Earth, Mar 1993 |
Global Earth took only one image during construction.
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| Global Earth, May 2004 |
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| Jackson-Township historical preservation posted U. S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works located in the town of Braddock, Allegheny County in 1908. Robert Isler: And FWIW, Braddock Locks and Dam at this time the photo was taken is only 3 years old. She was commissioned in 1905, and rebuilt/reengineered in 1950/1952 & 2004... The dam, although the original, was a technological marvel, as it was a FIXED CREST, but had adjustable “Mini Wickets”, and the elevation of the upper pool could be raised or lowered depending on the time of year and rate of flow. Nick Markowitz Jr. shared |
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| William David posted Here's one of Edgar Thomson works 1900-1915 from the archives at the Library of Congress. The details are amazing and even the paddle wheel boat in the lock .... says Pittsburgh on the side looks like a current day Gateway Clipper fleet member. |
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| dappolonia |
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| Fort Frick Photography posted Towboat (Hailey Nicole) passing through Lock 2, next to Edgar Thomson on a gloomy day. https://www.fortfrickphotography.com/ Jeff Bowser shared [Note the George Westinghouse Bridge in the right background.] |
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| 1 of 14 photos posted by Rust Belt Railroading United States Steel Edgar Thompson Works photos I took with my drone when I went biking on GAP Trail. [I chose this one because it shows the Braddock Lock.] Matthew Sonnett shared Johnny B Ridge: Where in Pittsburgh is this? |
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| Dennis DeBruler answered Jonny's question Across from Kennywood. https://goo.gl/maps/ZuE7Huke3K2vdZhd6 |
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| Todd Branch posted View from USS ET Works BF with Kennywood Amusement Park across the river. |
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| MP Rail Photography posted NS 29G waits on the Port Perry Branch while a coal train passes on the Mon Line. The US Steel Edgar Thompson Works can be seen in the background. May 25, 2024 Pittsburgh, PA Power: NS 4169 - AC44C6M NS 1229 - SD70ACe [The coal train is out-of-frame to the left going along the river.] Dennis DeBruler: In addition to the NS/PRR Port Perry Bridge, the Pennsylvania Union RR (URR) Bridge, the Lock and Dam #2 and the Edgar Thomson (no p) Works, you captured the Grand View Golf Club. This photo helps me better appreciate the hills in the Pittsburgh area. |
2017 video about lock repairs Looking at Global Earth images, I guess just the dam was replaced.
I read in a 2004 article that the main cargo on this river is coal and it predicted significant increases in traffic. So this looks like a multi-billion dollar project project that will be obsolete before it is done.
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