Forty years after a 174-foot barge became lodged against the Peace Bridge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District is looking back at the complex response that brought federal and local partners together and how lessons learned from the incident continue to underscore the importance of coordination and preparedness today.
On Aug. 7, 1986, Barge 45 was being pushed down the Niagara River when it became caught in the river’s swift current and struck a pier of the international Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ontario. The tugboat pushing it, the Ruth B., capsized and sank, leaving the barge lodged against the bridge.
Five days later, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared the barge a navigational hazard amid concerns that it could break free and threaten infrastructure downstream.
For Buffalo District employees, the incident quickly became a unique engineering challenge.
Gary Shoffstall, then a Buffalo District construction inspector working on a rehabilitation project at nearby Bird Island Pier, had what he describes as a “front row seat” to the incident.
“At this point, it was all over with,” Shoffstall said, recalling the moments before the collision. “He was sideways in the current. The little tug was screaming to redline. All the power it had was not making a difference.”
Removing Barge 45 would require an understanding of the vessel’s condition and internal structure before a salvage plan could be developed.
Armed with a clipboard, tape measure and camera, Shoffstall climbed inside.
“The wave action coming up onto the deck and then receding, it’s creaking, it’s groaning,” Shoffstall said. “The interior is partially flooded. It was one of those few moments in my life where I said, ‘What in God’s name are you doing in here?’”
While nerve-wracking, the inspection provided engineers with information needed to begin determining how the barge could be removed. The equipment available locally, however, was not capable of handling a salvage operation of that magnitude.
The response expanded through coordination with other federal agencies, including the U.S. Navy, which had access to specialized salvage capabilities through an existing contract.
By Dec. 1, a little over three months later, the removal operation was underway. Divers drilled into the Niagara River’s bedrock to install heavy anchors, while a winch barge and lift barge were maneuvered into position. Crews welded heavy-duty lifting points onto Barge 45 before attempting to pull it away from the bridge.
The operation faced another challenge as the barge began to fold against the bridge pier during the lift, but crews ultimately freed it and moved it near shore. With winter approaching and time running out before ice and the seasonal closure of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, Buffalo District personnel later helped cut the vessel apart for disposal.
The operation was completed in late December at an estimated cost of $5.5 million.
Four decades later, technology would give emergency responders capabilities unavailable to those who responded in 1986, including GPS, drones, improved aerial coverage, sonar imagery and modern computer systems, but the fundamental approach to an incident like Barge 45 remains familiar.
Life safety would be the Corps of Engineers’ first priority, followed by determining what authorities and capabilities could be brought to the response through coordination with local, state and federal partners.
“Every situation is going to be a little bit different,” said Buffalo District Emergency Manager Phil Stitzinger. “You’re going to have different people involved. You’re going to have different governments with different takes on what’s happening.”
For the Buffalo District, Barge 45 remains more than a unique piece of local history. It demonstrates how technical expertise, partnerships and communication can come together to solve an unexpected and complex problem.
“That’s why it’s always important to maintain those key relationships with our partner agencies,” Stitzinger said, “and just to keep that communication flowing.”