VIDEO: Barge crashes after breaking loose and gets stuck over dam in Pennsylvania
Updated: 6:16 PM EDT Apr 2, 2026
A construction barge got stuck after it crashed into a dam in western Pennsylvania.Officials confirmed to sister station WTAE that the barge broke free from a Pennsylvania Turnpike project around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. After getting loose, the barge went over and got stuck on the Beaver Falls Sewage Treatment Plant dam in Beaver County, which is outside of Pittsburgh.According to S&B USA, three barges tore free from their moorings during a flood event. Their teams were able to recover one of the barges.”We have people on the scene and are cooperating with local authorities. We are actively putting a plan in place to safely recover the remaining barges,” the company said in a statement. Tim Pyle, Beaver Falls Municipal Authority Maintenance superintendent, said he heard the barge hit the dam early this morning. Pyle said that with the barge stuck on top of it, they are worried about its stability.”We have inspected all the time, just to make sure,” said Pyle. He said one section was repaired in 2017 because it failed. “Right now, if that would injure or anything on that dam, you could potentially lose it, and then it would just open up everything,” said Pyle. Pyle said the river moved from 8 feet Wednesday up to nearly 12 feet when the barges broke free. He said they need to wait for the water to safely recede before attempting to move the barge.
A construction barge got stuck after it crashed into a dam in western Pennsylvania.
Officials confirmed to sister station WTAE that the barge broke free from a Pennsylvania Turnpike project around 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
After getting loose, the barge went over and got stuck on the Beaver Falls Sewage Treatment Plant dam in Beaver County, which is outside of Pittsburgh.
According to S&B USA, three barges tore free from their moorings during a flood event. Their teams were able to recover one of the barges.
“We have people on the scene and are cooperating with local authorities. We are actively putting a plan in place to safely recover the remaining barges,” the company said in a statement.
Tim Pyle, Beaver Falls Municipal Authority Maintenance superintendent, said he heard the barge hit the dam early this morning. Pyle said that with the barge stuck on top of it, they are worried about its stability.
“We have inspected all the time, just to make sure,” said Pyle. He said one section was repaired in 2017 because it failed.
“Right now, if that would injure or anything on that dam, you could potentially lose it, and then it would just open up everything,” said Pyle.
Pyle said the river moved from 8 feet Wednesday up to nearly 12 feet when the barges broke free. He said they need to wait for the water to safely recede before attempting to move the barge.