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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accelerating the demolition of the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 near Elizabeth in response to mounting criticism from Pennsylvania lawmakers, residents, and boaters who rely on the waterway.

The dam removal and subsequent reopening of the channel were originally slated for the end of the year. Now, Army Corp's contractors are doubling their efforts to produce a 100-foot-wide navigation channel through the existing dam and open it to maritime traffic by Wednesday. The rest of the operation will continue through December.

Removing the lock chamber and other structures will be a multiyear project.

"Accelerating the project has been our number one priority," Army Corps Col. Nicholas Melin said in a recent interview with the Post-Gazette.

One blast down, 12 to go: Demolition of century-old Mon dam near Elizabeth begins

The move comes after the Army Corps discovered an issue with water levels in the river a few days after the demolition kicked off in July. This, Col. Melin said, resulted in the agency placing more limitations on commercial barge traffic and boating than anticipated.

Some frustrated community members then took to social media to criticize the decision.

"What a disaster...boaters can't use the ramps and many are forced to leave this marina and go South to marinas over 40 miles away in Greene County, Pa," wrote Lynn Shallenberger in a post on Facebook.

In the lead-up to the demolitions the agency held several community meetings in the Elizabeth Borough area to inform community members of the forthcoming changes in water levels and weekly closures.

In a joint letter to Army Corps Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon; Sen. Bob Casey, Sen. John Fetterman, Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Chris Deluzio and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler cautioned that the restrictions had "adverse economic impacts on local businesses and residents who rely on the river."

"Any additional delays will have steep economic costs for Southwestern Pennsylvania," the letter reads. "Keeping this waterway safe and navigable in the long run is critical to the region's economy and way of life."

Col. Melin said representatives from the agency met with lawmakers and industry stakeholders and agreed to meet a shorter deadline. Now, construction on the waterway is conducted six days a week for more than 12 hours daily. The weekly controlled demolitions have also doubled in length—contractors initially used explosives to fracture one 50-foot section during each blast but have recently increased it to 100 feet.

Army Corps takes safety precautions during demolition of Monongahela dam near Elizabeth

"It's been a much busier place, there's been tons of construction going on," Col. Melin said.

Despite that, he said safety precautions are as strong as before the acceleration process.

The project's grievances aren't felt by everyone. Joanne Graham, who lives along the Monongahela River on South Water Street in Elizabeth—right near the demolition site—said the Army Corps has done "a pretty good job so far."

"We don't even know when [the explosions] happen," she said. "We don't even hear anything."

Removing the dam is the final phase of a $2.8 billion project that started in 1994 to modernize locks 2, 3, and 4 on the lower Monongahela River in the Braddock, Elizabeth and Charleroi areas. The removal creates 30 miles of uninterrupted river navigation, reducing transit times and allowing the navigation industry to take larger loads on the river.

When completed, the Army Corps estimates the project will return more than $200 million annually in business opportunities for the region and the nation.

Before the project, many of those locks and dams hadn't seen sufficient modernization or replacement work in decades; Locks and Dam 3 was last renovated in the 1970s.

The locks were designed to last 50 years, officials say, and are all more than a century old — some of the oldest in the United States.

There are 17 locks and dams within the Port of Pittsburgh, which encompasses about 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Army Corps' Pittsburgh District encompasses 26,000 square miles, including portions of Western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, western Maryland and southwestern New York.

Pennsylvania's waterways, ports and related industries also support about 248,000 jobs and generate $19.3 billion in personal income and $4.3 billion in state and local tax revenue each year.