Soo Locks Opened March 25

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Poe Lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie Tuesday, March 25, at 12:01 a.m., signaling the start of the commercial shipping season for Great Lakes freighters.

The Soo Locks are the only passageways to navigate safely from Lake Superior through the St. Marys River, down to the lower Great Lakes for ships up to 1,000 feet long and 105 feet wide. More than 4,000 vessels, carrying up to 90 million tons of cargo, maneuver through these locks every year. Most cargo vessels transport iron ore (50 million tons per year), coal, grain, or stone, some of them transporting more than 72,000 tons of freight in a single load.

Significant repairs were made to the Poe Lock's miter gates this winter, according to Kevin Sprague, winter repair coordinator, entailing replacing gate connectors and working on hydraulic cylinders to improve operation of the gates.

The Visitors Center at the Soo Locks opens in mid-May.

Differences in the lake levels are expected this year, the Army Corps of Engineers reported.

Lake Superior's water level is now approximately eight inches higher than this time last year. The levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron are approximately six inches lower than this time last year. Lake Superior is forecasted to remain above last year's water levels through August, while Michigan and Huron will be near last year's water levels by June and be slightly higher in July and August.