© 2024 WNMU-FM
Upper Great Lakes News, Music, and Arts & Culture
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Congress OKs construction of new Great Lakes shipping lock

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI (AP)--   Congress has taken a key step toward building a long-sought shipping lock on the waterway linking Lakes Huron and Superior.

Funding authorization for the Soo Locks project was included in a water resources bill that cleared the Senate on Wednesday. It now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The complex at Sault Ste. Marie has just one lock suitable for 1,000-foot freighters that haul iron ore and other cargo from Lake Superior along the St. Marys River to the other Great Lakes.

The bill allows construction of a second large lock, which the shipping industry and elected officials say is needed in case the older lock is disabled.

Congress still needs to appropriate funds in separate legislation over numerous years to pay for the $1 billion project.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.