Ontario Construction News staff writer
Construction of the New Lock at the Soo has reached the halfway point, marking a major milestone on the $3.2-billion project at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District announced on Wednesday that Phase 3 of the project is now 50 per cent complete. The Corps awarded the base contract on July 1, 2022, to Kokosing Alberici Traylor (KAT) LLC of Westerville, Ohio.
The new lock will be the second Poe-sized lock at the Soo Locks complex, improving the facility’s ability to handle disruptions and providing greater resilience for Great Lakes shipping.
Currently, about 88 per cent of U.S. domestic iron ore transportation relies on the existing Poe Lock, which opened in 1969.
“Reaching the halfway point on this mega project is a testament to the dedication of the Corps of Engineers team and the joint-venture contractor Kokosing Alberici Traylor LLC,” said Mick Awbrey, chief of the Corps of Engineers Integrated Project Office. “The progress made here is a direct reflection of the more than 600 people working on this project.
“They come to work every day committed to the successful completion of the new lock.”
Phase 3 includes construction of cofferdams at both ends of the new lock, demolition of the existing Sabin Lock and filling of the Davis Lock. The work also includes bedrock excavation, construction of the lock chamber walls and floor, fabrication and installation of miter gates, and installation of mechanical and electrical systems.
Other work includes installation of a hands-free mooring system, rehabilitation of downstream approach walls and construction of a new pump well.
KAT had completed about $975 million worth of work through the end of August 2026, according to the Corps.
Current work is focused on mass concrete placement for the lock walls and floor, as well as construction of the new pump well. Steel components, including miter gates, ship arrestors and culvert valves, are also being fabricated off site.
The project will require approximately 400,000 cubic yards of concrete.
“If you were to build an average sidewalk that you see in a neighborhood, with 400,000 cubic yards of concrete, you could build a sidewalk from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Orlando, Florida,” Awbrey said. “It’s a massive amount of concrete and we are making progress every day.”
As of August, 140,198 cubic yards of concrete had been placed, which the Corps said would extend nearly to Dayton, Ohio, if represented as a sidewalk toward Orlando.
Despite construction conditions in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the project remains on schedule for completion in 2030.
The New Lock at the Soo is one of the Army Corps of Engineers’ highest-priority commercial navigation projects. The new facility is intended to provide an additional route for vessels carrying iron ore and other raw materials needed for U.S. steel production, reducing reliance on the existing Poe Lock.
The project is also being used as an example of the Army Civil Works program’s “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative, which emphasizes faster project delivery, risk management and mission-focused construction.
The Detroit District oversees about 3,150 miles of shoreline and 81 harbours and channels across Michigan and parts of Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
