One of two barges stuck on Potomac River moved to W.Va. side for dismantling

High water on the Potomac River has receded enough that crews have been able to move one of two construction barges that broke loose from their moorings and floated down the river Sunday, according to a Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park spokeswoman.

Workers were able to pull the barge from Dam No. 4 and move it to the Maryland shore so a generator could be removed from it, spokesman Christiana Hanson said Thursday. The park service provided photos showing a tug boat moving the barge.

Then the barge was moved about a half-mile downstream to a spot on the West Virginia shoreline that provides good access to the craft, Hanson said. The property is privately owned and the owner has agreed to allow the barge to be kept there while the contractor comes up with a way to dismantle and remove it, Hanson said.

It's unclear how long that will take, she said. An excavator that fell off the barge while it was stuck at Dam No. 4 remains in the water, Hanson said.

"It's still too dangerous to retrieve right now," Hanson said.

A larger barge remained stuck downstream on the remnants of Dam No. 3 near Harpers Ferry, W.Va., and above the U.S. 340 bridge, Hanson said. That barge contains a larger excavator, a portable toilet, and remnants of trees laying across it.

Workers with the project contractor, Kiewit Corp., are staying with both barges around the clock to monitor the situation as they continue to develop retrieval plans, Hanson said.

The contractor was using the barges for work at McMahons Mill and a segment of the canal towpath southwest of Downsville. The barges broke loose in rough water on the river following heavy rains resulted in flood warnings being posted in the region until Monday night.

Emergency officials were worried the barges might hit bridges as they floated toward Harpers Ferry on Sunday.

Story background: Runaway barges on Potomac stabilized; related to canal park work in Washington County

More: Contents of one stuck construction barge dumped in Potomac River

A bridge that carries Md. 34 across the river from Washington County into Jefferson County at Shepherdstown, W.Va., was closed as the larger barge approached the span.

It missed the bridge but hit a Norfolk Southern railroad bridge just below the Md. 34 span.

Norfolk Southern issued a temporary speed restriction on the bridge, returning it Sunday to normal service after the bridge was deemed safe, Norfolk Southern spokesman Connor Spielmaker wrote in an email on Monday.

Police were stationed on the U.S. 340 bridge below Harpers Ferry. They were prepared to close it if the barge headed toward the span, but it didn't make it that far.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: One of two barges stuck on Potomac River moved to West Virginia side