GLIN==> Soo Locks closing for maintenance

["List Manager" <adminpst@great-lakes.net>]

Submitted by Cassandra Kardeke <cassandra.a.kardeke@usace.army.mil>

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Last vessels to pass through the Soo Locks, marking an end to the shipping 
season

DETROIT — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, will close the 
world famous Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for the winter season 
Jan. 15.

The Corps closes the locks annually from 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15 through 12:01 
a.m. March 25 in accordance with a multi-agency agreement regarding St. 
Marys River Winter Navigation and Soo Locks Operations.

In 2008, 8,461 vessels passed through the Soo Locks, carrying 80.6 million 
tons of cargo.

The Poe Lock, one of the Soo’s two operational locks, will undergo 
inspection and maintenance of hydraulic, electrical, structural and other 
key equipment during the closure.

The second operational lock at the Soo, the MacArthur Lock, closed Dec. 15. 
The MacArthur Lock is undergoing a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-mandated 
regular inspection, which is held every five years. During the shutdown, the 
MacArthur has been drained and is undergoing a thorough inspection of all 
components as part of the 5-year periodic inspection.

All the work will be done by 60 Corps employees, many of whom normally would 
be subject to a layoff.

The Poe Lock will reopen March 25, its normal reopening date, while the 
MacArthur Lock is expected to open later in April.

Operation and maintenance of the Soo Locks falls under the jurisdiction of 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. Located on the St. Marys 
River, the locks have been a part of the Corps’ navigation mission since 
1881.

Media interested in covering the final day of vessels passing through the 
Soo need to contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District 
Public Affairs Officer, Lynn Duerod, at (313) 226-4680, before the close of 
business on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

For additional information or questions on the Soo Locks, please call Duerod 
or Al Klein at the Soo Area Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 
(906) 635-3464.

Attachment: Soo Locks closure press release.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document