By Journal Staff

MARQUETTE — The budget to finish building a new lock at the Soo Locks is now fully funded, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers receiving $479 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to invest in the locks, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills, announced Wednesday.

The investment made possible by the act could put the project ahead of schedule by as much as two years, according to a news release from Stabenow and Peters.

The Soo Locks are a crucial gateway for Great Lakes freighters carrying agricultural products and materials that manufacturers and the military depend on.

“The new lock will mean there is a modern lock to handle larger vessels and will prevent failure of the locks, which would have devastating consequences for the economy and national security,” officials said in the release. “Sens. Stabenow and Peters have led the effort for years to secure enough funding to complete this new lock — $1.3 billion in total.”

Stabenow said the funding was much needed.

“After a hard-fought effort, we finally have full funding of the Corps’ budget to finish building the new lock at the Soo Locks. In Michigan, we know how vital the locks are to our economy and our national defense. We also know that we are on borrowed time until something happens that shuts them down. Thanks to our bipartisan efforts in Congress, and with the president’s leadership, we are able to finish this project as soon as possible,” Stabenow said in a statement.

The project is critical for the state and nation, Peters said.

“The bipartisan infrastructure law is delivering for Michiganders with this significant investment in the Soo Locks — an economic and national security priority for Michigan and our nation,” Peters said in a statement. “With some of the pumps operating the locks being more than 100 years old, it was long overdue that we modernize such a critical piece of our infrastructure and ensure sustainability for the future. Building a new lock will make our supply chains more resilient and bolster commerce on the Great Lakes — and I was proud to help pass the legislation making this necessary upgrade closer to a reality.”

Working with Republicans and Democrats, Stabenow and Peters “were instrumental in passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” the release states. “The act is transformational for Michigan. It includes unprecedented funding–to finish modernizing the Soo Locks, rebuild our long-neglected roads and bridges, keep our drinking water safe, bring high-speed internet to communities across Michigan, invest in electric vehicles and make the largest single investment ever in the Great Lakes. The act also strengthens our Buy American laws.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also weighed in on the news Wednesday.

“I applaud the US Army Corps of Engineers for making a $479 million investment in the Soo Locks to finish the project, protecting tens of thousands of jobs and uplifting our economy,” Whitmer said in a statement. “The locks are critical to facilitating trade and economic cooperation between our two peninsulas and Great Lakes neighbors. Our federal partners are also bolstering critical Michigan harbors, further shoring up our waterways and enabling businesses to trade goods and supplies more easily. I am grateful to our congressional delegation for fighting for this investment. Together, we will continue finding ways to grow Michigan’s economy, create and protect good-paying jobs, and invest in every region of our great state.”

To learn more about the progress on the Soo Locks modernization project, visit www.stabenow.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Soo%20Locks%202021.pdf.