EMSWORTH — Boaters on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh will face long delays when the Army Corps of Engineers begins repairs on two sets of locks July 6.

The repairs will close the main locks at Emsworth, about six miles west of the city and at Dashields, about 13 miles away. Normally, the locks can handle up to nine freight barges at a time. But until the repairs are finished July 24, boaters will have to use auxiliary locks which have room for just one barge at a time.

That means a tow boat pushing 15 barges — the maximum load allowable — will take 15 hours to pass through a lock instead of the normal 1½ hours.