Port of Pittsburgh Commission

07/30/2026

THE BARGE IS LARGE AND IN CHARGE! A picture says a 1000 words, and hopefully this post may save a life. These pictures were taken of three kayakers yesterday, on the Ohio River, near Neville Island. The kayakers were spotted with no lifejackets, helmets or safety gear, AND veering into the path of a 9 barge-tow; close enough to the towing vessel that it had to sound its horn.

Remember, commercial vessels have the right-of-way on rivers, and can take up to 1 mile to reach full-stop. As for personal watercraft like kayaks, you are REQUIRED by LAW to wear a Coast Guard approved lifejacket or personal floatation device!

Enjoy our rivers, and be smart. Wear that life jacket, and yield to commercial traffic!

07/30/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BVe8CZ7Y1/

What does it mean to “thread the needle” in locking through?

Imagine you're tasked with guiding a multi-ton boat pushing nine loaded barges through a lock chamber - and you have just a few feet of clear space on either side to get it right. No bumping, no scraping, no barge autopilot, just steady nerves and a steady hand (and a deckhand on a radio telling you to go more left).

Some lock chambers are 110 feet wide and common tow widths (multiple barges lined next to each other) are roughly 105 feet wide - leaving boat captains a mere 2.5 feet of wiggle room on either side to enter the chamber correctly. It's a tight squeeze, but that’s "threading the needle," one of the mystic arts of river navigation.

At locks across the Pittsburgh District on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, commercial navigators perform this feat daily - maneuvering massive towboats and barges through tight chambers, narrow approaches, and all weather conditions. Precision isn’t a bonus; it’s mandatory.

07/30/2026

https://triblive.com/sports/outdoors/thousands-of-blue-catfish-released-into-ohio-river-during-restoration-efforts/

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission released more than 1,000 blue catfish into the Ohio River on Wednesday, continuing an effort to restore a native species that had disappeared from the region decades ago. The stockings are part of a larger initiative to release 10,000 blue catfish into south...

06/29/2026

https://community.triblive.com/news/4082585

Pittsburgh is known as the Steel City, the gritty home of Gilded Age business magnates and orange-glow­­ing steel mills. But before the three rivers were packed with boats carrying steel, the confluence of those waterways brought agriculture, trade and even war to the region.

06/05/2026

https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/nearly-finished-armstrong-terminal-3-million-dock-renovation-project-expected-to-make-lasting-impact/

Improvements to a few hundred feet of riverfront in Gilpin could have economic impacts that stretch across the region and beyond. At least that’s what officials viewing progress on almost $3 million in upgrades to the barge dock at the Schenley Industrial Park are hoping. “This is really...

05/22/2026

05/18/2026

05/15/2026

Portpitt staff participating in Wear Your Life Jacket at Work Day!

05/13/2026

**TODAY!** Where will we catch you wearing your life jacket? The office? The coffee shop? The salon?

This Friday is ! Join the fun and take a photo of yourself in your life jacket and tag us ( on Instagram and X; Boating Campaign here on Facebook), and help share the message!

👩‍💻 National Safe Boating Week is May 16-22. View, share, and use our toolkit to share daily boating safety tips, images, and videos in your marketing efforts - all week long: https://safeboatingcampaign.com/resources/national-safe-boating-week-toolkit/