Pittsburgh-based Trumbull and Brayman Construction have secured a nearly $770 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to build a new lock chamber at Montgomery Locks and Dam in Monaca, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River.

The joint venture, consisting of Trumbull Corp. and Brayman Construction Corp., will replace the existing 56-foot-by-360-foot auxiliary lock chamber with a new, much larger 110-foot-by-600-foot primary lock chamber. This project is part of the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, which also includes similar upgrades at the Emsworth and Dashields locks and dams.

The contract is funded in part by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided over $1 billion for the initiative. The work to dismantle the current auxiliary lock chamber is expected to start in spring 2025, with construction of the new lock chamber following shortly after. During the construction phase, the existing primary lock will remain operational for river vessels.

The Montgomery Locks are crucial to U.S. infrastructure, facilitating the movement of 12 million tons of goods annually into and out of the Port of Pittsburgh. According to USACE, the same amount of cargo would require over 100,000 railcars or 400,000 trucks to transport.

“This project is vital to ensuring safe and reliable navigation on the upper Ohio River,” said Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District. “With the contract awarded, we are ready to advance this critical infrastructure for the region and the nation.”