20 Oct 2022

New Lock at the Soo: Unlocking the Great Lakes

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District works on unlocking the Great Lakes by providing a much-needed resiliency at the Soo Locks with the construction of the New Lock at the Soo. The New Lock at the Soo will be the same dimensions as the Poe Lock, 1,200 feet long, 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep. Often called the “linchpin” of the Great Lakes navigation system, the Soo Locks are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan between the upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Soo Locks enable bulk carrier vessels to safely bypass the swift-moving St. Marys River rapids where the water drops 21 feet over bedrock in a three-quarter mile stretch. The St. Marys River is the only connecting waterway between Lakes Superior and the lower Great Lakes. Before the first lock was constructed in 1798, trade canoes had to be unloaded and portaged around the rapids, taking roughly six weeks to complete. Today, the locks operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 42 weeks of the year allowing government, commercial and private vessels to transit safely and more efficiently.

23 Aug 2022

Matt Shanks awarded 2022 Silver Jackets Coordinator of the Year

On Thursday, July 28th, LRD Risk Analysis Coordinator working in the Planning and Policy Division, Matt Shanks, was awarded the USACE National Flood Risk Management Program 2022 Silver Jackets Coordinator of the Year.

29 Jul 2022

Emergency Erosion Protection for Grand River-Bank Street in Painesville, Ohio

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District and the City of Painesville (Lake County), Ohio are partners to keep the west side of the Grand River in place this summer to protect a local road and local public utilities. They signed a Project Partnership Agreement in May 2021 to complete this construction.

25 May 2022

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plan for Fiscal 2022 Civil Works Appropriations

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivered to Congress its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) Work Plan for the Army Civil Works program on May 25, 2022. On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103, of which Division D is the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022 (Act). Of the $8.3 billion in appropriations provided for the Army Civil Works program, approximately $7.9 billion is appropriated in five accounts: Investigations; Construction; Operation and Maintenance; Mississippi River and Tributaries; and the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).

10 May 2022

Division Commander visits Section 408 project in Newport, KY

On Monday, May 2, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Commander Col. Kimberly Peeples joined Louisville District staff to visit the site of a Section 408 project in Newport, KY.

28 Mar 2022

Statement by Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. The President’s Budget details his vision to expand on the historic progress our country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address—to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out.