Sault Ste Marie, MI - A bill containing money to fully fund the Soo Locks project has been passed by the U-S Senate Appropriations Committee. The 450-million dollars would allow the Army Corps (core) of Engineers to award all remaining construction contracts… which would push the project toward timely completion. The new lock system will be the same size as the existing 55-year-old Poe Lock… the only lock capable of handling the largest vessels that travel through the Great Lakes.
The Soo Locks allow ships carrying essential cargo—such as iron ore pellets used to make steel—to travel between Lake Superior ports and those in the lower Great Lakes. Reports have indicated that if the Poe Lock were to suffer a long closure for any reason, it could lead to a national recession.
