Soo Locks to open for marine traffic March 22, officials say

Michigan's Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie will open to marine traffic about two weeks early this year, officials said.

The Poe Lock will open to all marine traffic at 6 p.m. on March 22, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Wednesday. Its opening marks the start of the 2024 Great Lakes shipping season.

"Our winter maintenance period is a critical time for us to invest in our aging locks," Lt. Col. Brett Boyle, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Detroit District, said in a statement. "This year, a number of factors worked in our favor that allowed us to safely deliver this critical maintenance and also open to navigation traffic a few days early, with the St. Lawrence Seaway."

Officials said major steel producers also urged the shipping industry to begin the season early this year.

"The St. Lawrence Seaway has announced that it will open this spring on March 22," James Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association, said in a statement. "We would like to match that early opening at the Soo. We also note that the Seaway strike in 2023 and extreme wind events toward the end of the last operating season left the fleet with undelivered cargo."

The locks officially closed on Jan. 16, 2023, after the last vessel of the 2023 season, officials said. The locks then underwent critical repairs and maintenance during a 10-week winter shutdown, they said.

While the Poe Lock will open early, the MacArthur Lock, located south of the Poe, will remain closed for maintenance until April 24, according to the corps.

Visitors to the Soo Locks Visitor Center will be able to watch the first vessel of the season go through the lock, officials also said.

"We welcome visitors into the park for the 2024 Soo Locks season opening," Michelle Briggs, the park's chief ranger, said in a statement. "The park and viewing platform will stay open until 8 p.m. to allow visitors to watch the first ship."

In addition, the Detroit District of the Army Corps of Engineers will broadcast the event on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/USACEDetroitDistrict. The broadcast will begin at 5:55 p.m.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

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