BEAVER FALLS, Pa. — A barge broke free and went over a dam along the Beaver River in Beaver Falls on Thursday morning.
Employees at the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority say they heard a loud noise coming from the river around 6:30 this morning.
“It just sounded like some metal banging something was going on, so I looked outside the garage doors, and it was still dark,” said Tim Pyle.
“The late-night operator called and asked me to come down to the dam. He was on his last lap, and we thought something was stuck,” said Tracy Price.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike says the barge was being used to hold equipment for its Beaver River Bridge Reconstruction Project. They say the barge was empty, and nobody was on it.
“We’ve had boat docks. We’ve had other tree limbs, huge trees, get stuck previously, but nothing in this magnitude,” said Price.
A spokesperson for the PA Turnpike says it’s under investigation, but it likely broke free because of rising water levels Thursday morning.
The City of Beaver Falls Police Department said the Beaver Falls/Eastvale Bridge, as well as the Beaver Falls/New Brighton Bridge, are currently closed due to “possible hazards.” They are asking drivers to use alternate routes until it’s resolved.
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