SAULT STE. MARIE, MI— The Soo Locks are slated to open on Friday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Poe Lock will open at 12:01 a.m. March 25, marking the start of the 2022 Great Lakes shipping season. The operating season is fixed by federal regulation and driven in part by the feasibility of vessels operating in typical Great Lakes ice conditions.
Corps of Engineers crews should complete Poe Lock rewatering Monday, March 21. That will allow U.S. Coast Guard ice breakers to prepare the upper river shipping channel and break out Lake Superior Ports for the navigation season opening.
The MacArthur Lock, located south of the Poe, will remain closed until late April.
