President Trump signs bill authorizing $922-million
Poe Lock replacement

#LSN_Shipping  Artist Rendering 2010 

CLEVELAND, OHIO  –  October 24, 2018  (LSN)  President Trump yesterday signed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, legislation that includes the Soo Lock Post-Authorization Change Report that authorizes construction of a second Poe-sized lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to move forward.  The President had pledged to “fix” the Soo Locks in April.

James H.I. Weakley, President of Lake Carriers’ Association, the trade association representing U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes, thanked the President for being such a staunch supporter of the lock.  “A second Poe-sized lock was authorized in 1986 but has languished under several Administrations.  It was President Trump who made this a national priority.”

The locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, allow vessels, some more than 1,000 feet long, to move between Lake Superior and the lower four Great Lakes.  In a typical year, as much as 80 million tons of cargo pass through the Soo Locks.  Iron ore for steel production is the single largest commodity, but the locks also handle significant volumes of coal, grain and limestone.  Approximately 90 percent of that cargo transits the Poe Lock.  The other lock, the MacArthur, is too small to accommodate the most efficient ships working the Lakes.

For far too long America’s economy has been at risk because we have only one Poe-size lock,” said Weakley.  “The Department of Homeland Security predicts 11 million Americans will lose their jobs if the Poe Lock is down for just six months.  President Trump’s signing of this bill means we can now concentrate on funding the lock.”The new lock is projected to cost approximately $922 million and take seven years to build.

The image above is an Artist Rendition that illustrates what it might look like if a Second Poe-Sized Lock replaced two of the older locks (left portion of the photo). The Poe Lock, opened in 1969, was the last lock built in the Soo Locks system, the only passage between Lake Superior and the lower lakes. (Second Poe-Sized Lock far left, Poe Lock center, MacArthur Lock far right)
The Soo Locks facility, operated and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, is the District’s largest project and is located on the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. on the international border with Canada. Approximately 80 million tons of commercial commodities pass through the Soo Locks annually.