In 1942, Loyalhanna Dam went into operation while Pittsburgh factories produced wartime steel and the army relied on 54,000 pigeons. 84 years later, the dam has prevented more than $658 million in flood damage and its cranes are getting a major overhaul

Two 64-ton cranes have been working above Loyalhanna Dam for more than eight decades, moving the massive steel gates that help manage the reservoir during high-water events. Now, the aging machines are getting a major overhaul.

The work comes 84 years after Loyalhanna Dam began operating in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. At the time, the United States was shifting steel, machinery, labor and federal resources toward World War II. Pittsburgh factories were working around the clock to produce steel and other wartime materials, while the U.S. Army Signal Corps furnished approximately 54,000 pigeons to the armed services to carry messages when radios, telephone wires and other communications were unavailable or unreliable, as per a report.

Loyalhanna Dam had already been authorized and was under construction before the United States entered the war. The project remained a priority and went into operation in 1942 as part of the region's flood-mitigation system. Since then, the dam has prevented more than $658 million in flood damage.


Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is rehabilitating the two cranes to keep them ready for the job they have performed for generations, as per a USACE report.

Loyalhanna's cranes have endured more than 80 years of wear

The dam uses five large steel gates to help manage water during high-water events. Two gantry cranes use hoists and wire ropes to position the gates.

After more than eight decades exposed to weather and corrosion, the cranes needed extensive rehabilitation. The project involves lead-based paint, asbestos-containing floor panels, aging electrical systems and machinery positioned roughly 65 feet above the dam.

There was also an unexpected problem: pigeons.

Pigeons moved into the machinery

The birds entered through the machinery-room louvers and established themselves around the cranes' moving mechanical equipment.

Their presence complicated access for crews and added another layer of work to a project already dealing with aging infrastructure.

For a while, a hawk kept the pigeons away.

Wayne Carney, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District civil engineer managing the project, said that, “There was a hawk, and he scared away the pigeons for a while. But now the hawk is gone, and the pigeons are back," as quoted by USACE.

The district eventually modified the rehabilitation contract to include barriers designed to keep the pigeons away from the equipment.

Crane 2 is getting the first major overhaul

Sievert Electric received the rehabilitation contract in December 2024 through a 100% small-business set-aside.

The contractor mobilized in April 2026 and began with Crane 2, removing equipment from the operator cab, electrical components, mechanical systems, wire ropes and other interior hardware.

The crane's protective coating was also badly in need of attention. Each crane has roughly 16,000 square feet of painted surface. After more than three decades of weather exposure since the previous major paint work, much of the coating had corroded, rusted or started to flake.

Crews removed the lead-based paint from Crane 2, stripped the steel to bare metal and applied a modern epoxy coating designed to resist corrosion.

They also removed asbestos-containing floor panels from the operator cab.

The new paint is meant to protect the steel

The coating work is about more than appearance. Paint protects the steel underneath it. If corrosion continues unchecked, it can eventually cause section loss, holes and water infiltration, turning maintenance into a much larger repair job.

Carney said, “Catching this maintenance opportunity as early as possible and making sure there’s no section loss in the steel is a big deal,” adding, “We’re avoiding other maintenance issues that come from letting the coatings decay,” as quoted by USACE.

The rehabilitation also includes replacing the cranes' aging wire ropes and brakes.

The brake work is complicated by the fact that the original manufacturer is no longer in business, making replacement parts more difficult to obtain.

The old controls are being replaced

The cranes are also receiving a major electrical overhaul. Crews will install new control panels, power distribution equipment, variable-frequency drives, lighting and operator consoles equipped with joysticks.

The operator cabs will receive steel flooring, insulated walls, new windows and doors, heating and ventilation.

A projecting window and closed-circuit television system will give operators better visibility while moving the gates.

The cranes will continue to move across the top of the dam on rails. Carney said that when the brakes are disengaged, a five-person crew can push a crane across the dam by hand, as per the USACE report.