SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan will close to all marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. January 15, or until commercial traffic ceases, through 12:01 a.m. March 25 to perform seasonal critical maintenance.

Federal regulation (33 CFR 207.440) establishes the operating season based on the feasibility of vessels operating during typical Great Lakes ice conditions.

“Every year, the Corps of Engineers uses the non-navigation winter period to perform maintenance and keep the Soo Locks operating,” Maintenance Branch Chief Nicholas Pettit said. “The Soo Project Office team works long hours in extreme conditions to complete a significant amount of maintenance during this annual closure period. The work they perform is unique, especially given the harsh northern Michigan winter conditions they work in.”

The team will install a temporary panel bridge across the Poe Lock. This panel bridge will provide the ability to mobilize materials and equipment to the job sites throughout the winter closure.

Soo Project Office maintenance crews will fabricate and replace anchorages on gate 3, commission the temporary dewatering system, fill in nonoperational ship arrestor recess on the downstream end, flush and clean the hydraulic systems for the rehabilitated ship arrestor systems, navigation button rehabilitation, remove underground storage tanks and repair the winter work bridge recesses. The Poe Lock will not be dewatered this year for the scheduled maintenance.

In addition to the above, crews also will perform a wide range of other maintenance tasks from replacement of pier fender timbers to inspections and preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems on both the Poe and MacArthur Locks.

“The Soo Project team is well versed in planning and executing complex maintenance and repairs. The cold climate and physical site constraints add an intensity that requires strategic logistical planning and controls to ensure safety and success,” Soo Locks Operations Manager LeighAnn Ryckeghem said.

Contractors will be working on the Poe Lock upstream stop log recess repairs. Kokosing Industrial Inc. of Cheboygan, Michigan, was awarded the contract September 23, 2024, for $2.7 million. This winter Kokosing will perform a full rehabilitation and repair of the upstream stop log recesses including removal of unsound concrete, repairs, installation of new concrete, steel corner protection and steel wall armor section. To complete this work, the contractor will install coffer cells and dewater the construction area to work on the recesses.

“Kokosing mobilized to the Soo Locks on January 11 and are scheduled to complete all repairs by March 12,” said Contracting Officer’s Representative Alicia Krouth.

The Soo Locks currently have two operating locks: the Poe Lock, scheduled to reopen March 25, and the MacArthur Lock, scheduled to reopen in April.

More than 4,500 vessels, carrying up to 80 million tons of cargo, maneuver through the locks annually. Iron ore, coal, wheat and limestone are among the most frequently carried commodities. Opened in 1969, the Poe Lock is 1,200 feet long. The MacArthur Lock was opened in 1943 and is 800 feet long.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, maintains a navigation system of 81 harbors, including the Great Lakes Connecting Channels that join lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie.