Ohio River near Pittsburgh reopens to maritime traffic after sunken barge is found

The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Ohio River in Pittsburgh to maritime traffic on Tuesday, nearly four days after 26 barges broke loose and floated away during weekend flooding. The Coast Guard had barred vessels from a stretch of river north of the city after dozens of barges got loose from their moorings late Friday, striking a bridge and smashing a pair of marinas. “We will continue to implement our recovery plan for the remaining affected vessels, at all times taking into consideration the safety of the recovery workers, the public and the barges,” said Gary Statler, the company’s senior vice president for river operations. Statler said the barges broke loose “under high water conditions on the rivers, resulting in strong currents due to flooding in the area.” Water levels on the Ohio rose very rapidly last week and then fell just as rapidly, said Matt Brown, chief of the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services.