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Encompassing over 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways in western Pennsylvania, the Port of Pittsburgh includes the three major rivers of southwestern Pennsylvania: the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio. The district serves the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. Unlike many ports in the United States, the Port of Pittsburgh is not a singular location or area owned by Allegheny County or Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and leased to private operators, but is instead the geographic area of the waterways serving Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Port's waterways themselves are maintained by a network of 17 locks and dams, operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. With Economic development and management being handled by the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Port encompasses over 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways, nearly all of the navigable waterways in southwestern Pennsylvania. over 200 river terminals and serves operate within the port district. These terminals and operators receive rail access via CSX and Norfolk southern railroads, as well access to the interstate highway system.

Location
The Port of Pittsburgh spans a twelve-county area including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Blair, Butler, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties. with its total waterways coming to over 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways. One of its three constituent rivers, the Ohio, is the longest tributary of the Mississippi river, allowing river traffic from Pittsburgh to transit the length of the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Economic Impact
Pittsburgh's port ranks as the 26th largest port in the United States overall, with almost 27 million short tons of river cargo for 2015. The port ranked 15th largest in the U.S. when measured in domestic trade. The majority of cargo handled within the port is coal.

Port of Pittsburgh Commission
The Port of Pittsburgh Commission is an independent government agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that manages the Port of Pittsburgh. It is tasked with the economic development of the Port and advocating for its interest, both in the commercial and recreational realms.

The Commission is governed by a board of fifteen, including political appointments. The current Executive Director, Mary Ann Bucci, has been in her position since 2016

M-70
The Commission has responsibility for Ohio River shipping within Pennsylvania and the navigable portions of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River. The federal Maritime Administration designated the Ohio River as part of a new federal marine highway, called M-70, with the name taken from I-70, a major highway used by trucks in the region.