Even though it’s nearly 400 miles away by car, the proposed New Soo Lock project in Sault Ste. Marie is a very important bit of infrastructure to Michigan’s Great Southwest and the harbor of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Anybody who has ever witnessed the arrival of the sizable freighters coming into the St. Joseph River Channel and the Inner Harbor can testify that without a viable Soo Locks operation, road salt, road building materials, concrete and other aggregate materials would be considerably more costly and take a higher toll on Michigan’s already beaten up roads. Manufacturers in Michigan rely heavily on the Locks as well.
So the good news today from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is good news despite that well over 5-hour drive distance from home.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, has announced that the New Soo Lock project in Sault Ste. Marie will receive $32,388,000 in the fiscal year 2019 work plan.
The funds appropriated to the New Soo Lock project will be used to initiate deepening of the upstream approach channel. The funds are sufficient to complete design and allow construction of the upstream channel deepening to begin. Efforts towards deepening the upstream approach channel are the next big step in construction of the new lock.
Lt. Col. Greg Turner is District Engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers. He says, “Appropriating funds for the New Soo Lock project in this year’s work plan demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to providing resiliency in the Great Lakes Navigation System.” He adds, “It is fantastic news for the Great Lakes and our nation.”
The next opportunity for funding to complete construction of the upstream channel deepening and continue the design of the upstream approach walls and new lock chamber is the 2020 President’s Budget.
Gov. Snyder was pleased with the news, saying, “New funding being provided for the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with work on the Soo Locks is great news for Michigan and the entire nation. We should all celebrate Congress taking action to fund more projects for the Army Corps and thank the Army Corps for maintaining the Soo Locks as a priority. Now, we need to continue working with the Corps to use Michigan’s $52 million commitment to its fullest potential. We also need to make sure Congress continues to see this work as essential to protecting our nation’s economy and fully funds the construction of a new lock.”
Lt. Gov. Calley also responded to the news with this statement, “The Army Corps of Engineers has been a great partner with the state in maintaining the Soo Locks to the best of its ability and in working to secure additional funding for the desperately needed new lock. We have seen more movement on this project in the past year than anyone saw in the previous 20 years. Thanks to Gov. Snyder, President Trump, and our partners in the state and federal legislatures, we are finally making significant headway on this vital project. Now we need to do all we can at all levels to keep accelerating this momentum.”
Contingent on efficient funding, the New Soo Lock project, estimated to cost nearly $1-billion, could be completed in as few as seven years.
The Soo Locks are situated on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and allow vessels to transit the 21 foot elevation change at the St. Marys Falls Canal. This New Soo Lock project would construct a second Poe-sized lock (110′ by 1,200′) on the site of the existing Davis and Sabin Locks. The Soo Locks are nationally critical infrastructure and the reliability of this critical node in the Great Lakes Navigation System is essential to U.S. manufacturing and National Security.
For more information about the New Soo Lock project, you can visit online by clicking the following website link:
https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Highlighted-Projects/New_Soo_Lock/
