In the photo at left, the Edgar B. Speer, left, waits in the icy waters for the opening of the Soo Locks in March 2018, while the American Century is seen at right. The Detroit District’s Soo Area Office will open the Poe Lock at noon Wednesday to mark the start of the 2021 Great Lakes shipping season. The shipping industry requested an early season opening to ensure safety of the vessels. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District)

SAULT STE. MARIE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District’s Soo Area Office will open the Poe Lock at noon Wednesday, marking the start of the 2021 Great Lakes shipping season.

The office believes the start will provide a safer timeframe for vessels to transit Whitefish Bay and the St. Marys River. It also facilitates U.S. Coast Guard ice breaking prior to and after the initial lock transits, said James Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers Association, in a news release.

“The efficiency of icebreaking for the first transits is the primary driver for this request,” Weakley said.

The shipping industry requested an early season opening to ensure safety of the vessels, officials said.

The Detroit District accommodated an early opening request due to being ahead of schedule and completing all required maintenance tasks during the annual winter season closure, said District Commander Lt. Col. Scott Katalenich in a news release.

The locks officially closed Jan. 15 to undergo critical repairs and maintenance during the 10-week winter shutdown. Maintenance crews performed a variety of tasks on the Poe Lock, including dry docking and repairing a barge, performing upstream and downstream miter gate structural repair work, replacing ice flushing valves on the upstream miter gates and making repairs to a filling valve and an emptying valve.

Other work included intermediate gate sill repairs, cleaning the Poe Lock’s underfloor drainage system, replacing fender timbers on the piers, and inspecting and performing preventative maintenance on electrical and mechanical systems for the Poe and MacArthur locks.

“We worked hard to accelerate work up front during our annual closure, with crews working 10 hours for six days straight to optimize the short time available for critical maintenance and repairs,” Katalenich said. “Due to the hard work of our maintenance crews and some mild weather at the beginning of our closure period, we’ve been able to accomplish all required work ahead of schedule.”

Poe Lock rewatering began March 15, which will support U.S. Coast Guard ice breakers preparing the shipping channels for the opening of the navigation season.

The MacArthur Lock, located south of the Poe, will remain closed until mid-April.

“We welcome visitors into the park for the 2021 Soo Locks season opening,” Katalenich said. “The park and viewing platform will be open, but we ask everyone entering the park follow (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines and (Department of Defense) instructions to wear masks on federal property, including outdoor shared spaces when social distancing cannot be maintained.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on plans to open the Soo Locks Visitor Center on May 9, depending on health condition as well as CDC, federal and state requirements.

“We’re excited about the possibility of opening the visitor center and have several new exhibits for visitors to enjoy,” chief park ranger Michelle Briggs said in a news release.