2 Jul 2022

Corps of Engineers awards $1.068 billion of the New Lock at the Soo Phase 3 contract

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District anticipates Phase 3 construction will start this summer with the $1.068 billion of the New Lock at the Soo Phase 3 contract award July 1, 2022. Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT), a joint venture headquartered in Westerville, Ohio will begin constructing the largest phase, the new lock chamber and rehabilitation of the downstream approach walls. This contract allows the contractor to begin work. With continued funding, the remaining work, valued at $803.95 million may be awarded over the next three years. Corps of Engineers officials expect Phase 3 construction to take seven years. "The Corps of Engineers looks forward to beginning construction on the new lock chamber later this summer, and we continue to work hard to maintain the pace and continue to make progress toward New Lock at the Soo total project completion in summer 2030,” said New Lock at the Soo Project Manager Mollie Mahoney.

24 Jun 2022

Entry period open for Detroit District annual photo contest

The Detroit District invites photographers to enter its 7th annual photo contest featuring U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites across the Great Lakes. The top 12 photographs highlighting Detroit District Great Lakes projects such as the Soo Locks, Duluth Ship Canal, piers, breakwaters or federal channels and harbors will earn a spot in the 2023 downloadable calendar. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. July 4, with winners determined by social media vote. The Soo Locks Visitors Center Association will award the top three photographers a plaque featuring their photo. “The photo contest is an exciting way for us to connect with our community,” said District Commander Lt. Col. Scott Katalenich. “We are pleased to continue the tradition and look forward to seeing all of the great submissions.”

19 Jun 2022

MacArthur Lock opening after seasonal maintenance, extended repair

The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock will open to marine traffic June 19, 2022, after completing a critical repair that took longer than expected. The MacArthur lock was set to reopen in late April but replacing the almost 79-year-old tainter valve machinery, original to the lock built in 1943, caused the closure’s 59-day extension. “The tainter valve machinery replacement contract was a very large task,” Soo Locks Construction Chief Nicholas Pettit said. “The original machinery had to be cut into pieces and removed by crane out through a small access tunnel. The new machinery had to be fabricated in sections, lowered by crane in through the small tunnel and installed inside of the lock.”

17 May 2022

Corps of Engineers share May-Oct. water level outlook

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydraulics and Hydrology officials forecast Great Lakes water levels to continue seasonal rise. From the shores of Lake Superior, Detroit District Watershed Hydrology Section Chief Keith Kompoltowicz discusses the latest six-month water level forecast in the seventh ‘On the Level’ video, available on the district’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/imwYDUBbMd0. “Lake Superior’s water level in April was about an inch below its long-term average,” according to Kompoltowicz. “Looking at the forecast for the next 6 months, Superior’s level should remain near average. In looking at the rest of the Great Lakes system, Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are above their respective long term average levels, but well below the record high levels recently experienced.”

5 Apr 2022

New Lock at the Soo to host hybrid public meeting for Hydro Plant tail race closing

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District will host a hybrid public meeting 7 p.m., April 20, 2022, to talk about the need for closing the Soo Locks Hydro Plant tail race. The Detroit District needs to close the Hydro Plant tail race for upcoming New Lock at the Soo construction and permanently close a portion of the tail race for safety reasons. The Corps of Engineers wants to hear from anglers and concerned stakeholders before making any official decisions. The tail race is and has been a very popular community fishing spot. The Corps of Engineers goal during New Lock at the Soo construction is to have minimal effects to the community. Participants can attend in-person or virtually.

29 Mar 2022

President’s Budget supplies $117.2 million for Corps of Engineers Detroit District Operation, Maintenance

DETROIT- The President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023 includes more than $6.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program, with just over $117.2 million set aside for Detroit District projects. Of great regional significance is an additional $600,000 for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, a project that includes the three Great Lakes districts: Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago. The goal is to create a plan identifying vulnerable coastal areas and recommending actions to bolster the coastal resources’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to future hydrologic uncertainty with respect to built and natural coastal environments. Recent high-water events across the Great Lakes brought about the study’s need.

17 Mar 2022

Soo Locks to open March 25 for 2022 shipping season

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, Soo Area Office will open the Poe Lock, 12:01 a.m., March 25, marking the 2022 Great Lakes shipping season start. The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and driven in part by the feasibility of vessels operating in typical Great Lakes ice conditions. The Poe Lock officially closed January 16 to undergo critical repairs and maintenance during the 10 week-long winter shutdown. Maintenance crews performed a variety of critical tasks on the Poe Lock, including hydraulic steel structure inspections, miter gate bottom girder structural repair and seal replacement, miter gate pintle concrete repairs, valve machinery repairs, and dewatering system maintenance.

14 Mar 2022

Corps of Engineers selects Enbridge Line 5 tunnel project EIS contractor

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, expects the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process for Enbridge Line 5’s tunnel permit application to begin soon following its selection of a contractor to prepare the EIS. The Detroit District, responsible for the tunnel project permit request review, selected Maryland-based Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc. as the third-party contractor to prepare the EIS for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 Tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. An EIS is a thorough and comprehensive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document the Detroit District will use in making a permit decision.

28 Jan 2022

Scenarios product provides insight to potential future water levels

DETROIT- Using historical data similar to recent conditions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Future Scenarios product illustrates Great Lakes’ water level variabilities. “The tool allows us to investigate the different meteorological or hydrological conditions impacting the Great Lakes basin and how it affects water levels,” said Detroit District Watershed Hydrology Section Physical Scientist Deanna Apps. “You may find this product helpful to better understand the variability in water levels that could occur under certain scenarios.” Apps, who is also a lead water level forecaster explains the scenario-based tool that is publicly available on the Corps of Engineers’ website in the sixth ‘On the Level’ video, available on the Detroit District’s YouTube page at: https://youtu.be/Jyl8RkNBIy0.

19 Jan 2022

Corps of Engineers receiving $561 million from infrastructure bill for Michigan, Great Lakes

DETROIT - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Detroit District is receiving $561 million in fiscal year 2022 of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (DRSAA) funds for work in Michigan and on the Great Lakes. IIJA operations and maintenance funds are allocated one year at a time. More funding across the Great Lakes is likely for fiscal years 23 and 24, but the determination will come at a later time. “The IIJA funding is for major Civil Works mission areas, including navigation, aquatic ecosystem restoration and flood damage reduction,” said Detroit District Deputy District Engineer Kevin McDaniels. “The majority of money the Detroit District is receiving will fund construction of the New Lock at the Soo project.”