Construction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $3.2-billion New Lock at the Soo project in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., is advancing toward completion in 2030. The Corps recently awarded a $213.8-million contract option to Phase 3 contractor Kokosing Alberici Traylor LLC for construction of the lock wall monoliths.
The project is replacing two smaller locks with one equal to the 1,200-ft-long, 110-ft-wide, 32-ft-deep Poe Lock, which is currently the only of the Soo Locks on the St. Mary's River, between Michigan and Ontario, Canada, that is capable of accommodating modern “laker” shipping vessels. The scope of the newly awarded contract option includes construction of 21 chamber monoliths for both the north and south walls of the new lock, according to Jeremy Nichols, corps project design engineer. Each of the monoliths are about 44 ft wide and 70 ft tall, and will be built by placing concrete in 5-ft-high lifts.