New Soo Lock Project Moving Forward

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announces that the New Soo Lock project in Sault Ste. Marie reached a new milestone Tuesday when President Donald J. Trump signed America’s Water Infrastructure Act into law. Since this act includes authorization for the construction of the new lock, the project can now compete with other construction projects throughout the country for appropriations, or funding. The project is authorized to be 100 percent federally funded and will be considered for appropriations in the next funding cycle. This authorization is for construction at the current cost estimate of $922.4 million, which was updated as part of the New Soo Lock Economic Validation Study that was completed in June by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District.

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. 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.