Willow Island Lock and Dam, Lock and dam complex on Ohio River near Marietta, US.

Willow Island Lock and Dam is the seventh lock and dam on the Ohio River, 162 miles downstream of Pittsburgh. It has two locks side by side: a commercial lock 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide for barge traffic, and an auxiliary lock 600 feet long and 110 feet wide.

This facility was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a larger project to improve navigation on the Ohio River. The structure was completed in the mid-1970s and has since served as a key checkpoint for managing river traffic and water flow.

The two locks at Willow Island separate traffic by size: the 1,200-foot main chamber takes commercial barge tows, while the 600-foot auxiliary lock handles smaller craft. Both chambers are 110 feet wide, so a visitor can compare the scale of a full barge tow with a single recreational boat waiting alongside.

The facility is located north of Marietta and is easily accessible by car via the main route through the area. You can walk around the site to observe the river and structures, and fishing and wildlife watching are popular activities nearby.

Willow Island is the seventh lock and dam downstream from Pittsburgh, 162 miles along the Ohio River. Its two locks differ in size: the main chamber for commercial barge traffic is 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide, while the auxiliary lock measures 600 feet by 110 feet.