![]() ![]() You are required to catch and tend a line on one of the floating mooring bits. The lock personnel will direct you toward one of the lock walls. Proceed only when the signal light is green and enter the lock at a slow NO WAKE speed. The green signal means that you have been cleared to enter the lock chamber, unless you have been informed by the lock operator that you are required to yield to a commercial vessel. A red signal indicates that the lock is closed in your direction and you should wait for the lock operator to give you the green light before you proceed into the lock. Light Signals : Red and green signal lights are located at both ends of the lock. Once you have made contact with lock personnel you will be instructed by traffic lights, air horn signals, and/or marine radio. Pull Ropes : Pull ropes which sound an alarm letting the lock operator know that you desire lockage, are provided at the upstream and downstream ends of the lock guide wall. Please keep in mind lock operators are very busy and are not always able to answer the phone. Do this well in advance of your arrival at the lock so that the passage of all vessels may be facilitated, and allow the operator time to prepare the lock.Ĭell Phone : Cell phones may be used to contact the lock when within sight of the lock. The lock will then move you to their working channel. If your vessel is equipped with a two-way radio, please establish contact with the lock on VHF (FM) Channel 12. ![]() Radio : Is the preferred method of making contact with the lock on the Upper Mississippi River. There are several methods of communication with the lock personnel, as follows. As you approach a lock on the Upper Mississippi River, you must inform the lock operators of your desire to pass and they, in turn, will indicate to you when it is safe to proceed into the lock. Operators must require all passengers to wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket. Locking Through : Safety is the prime consideration when locking any type of vessel through a lock. “Know the waterways, take a water safety course, and wear a life jacket.”Įngineers believe the signs will help boaters all year since the buoys will be removed when winter comes.ĭownload the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.įollow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. “If one person goes over the dam, it’s one too many,” Conrad said. Engineers said the force of the water at the dam is so strong that a person can drown if they go under, even if they are wearing a life jacket. Experts said vigilance is key, as boats without a motor, like kayaks and canoes, could potentially drift. “Those, in conjunction with the signs, make a very complete, comprehensive safety system,” Conrad said.īuoys and signs near the Highland Park Bridge remind boaters to avoid a dam.īut those two components aren’t the only things needed to stay safe on the water. “If you’re just buzzing along, you wouldn’t see it because it just blends, and that’s why these buoys here, to stop anyone from going that way, I think is pretty important,” said Troy Garrison, who fishes in the area. ![]() The signs restrict boaters from going under part of the Highland Park Bridge to avoid the dam that many people don’t know is there. It does have that ‘infinity pool’ effect,” said David Conrad of the Army Corps of Engineers.Īs a result, boaters on the Allegheny River might have noticed something new: bright red warning signs, seven-feet high and 14-feet wide that can be seen from up to a half-mile away. Near the Highland Park Bridge, it’s the area of the Allegheny River Lock and Dam - a sharp drop-off on the other side of the bridge. The official start of summer means more boats in Pittsburgh’s three rivers, and as the Fourth of July approaches, plenty of people will be out and about enjoying the Allegheny.īut just like with any body of water, danger could be hidden in plain sight. ![]()
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