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  • Corps of Engineers expedites St. Joseph Harbor dredging after vessel touches bottom

    DETROIT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District awards $1.3 million dredging contract to King Co., Inc, of Holland, Michigan Nov. 17 to dredge St. Joseph Harbor. Shoaling at the St. Joseph Harbor caused a vessel to touch bottom near the north side of the harbor entrance in October. Survey crews from the Detroit District’s Grand Haven Resident Office surveyed the outer harbor October 21. “The survey indicated a significant shoal of up to 10 feet from the north side of the outer navigation channel through the center of the channel,” Elizabeth Wilkinson, Grand Haven Resident Engineer said. “The channel is restricted but was not closed to navigation traffic.”

  • New Lock at the Soo: Unlocking the Great Lakes

    SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District works on unlocking the Great Lakes by providing a much-needed resiliency at the Soo Locks with the construction of the New Lock at the Soo. The New Lock at the Soo will be the same dimensions as the Poe Lock, 1,200 feet long, 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep. Often called the “linchpin” of the Great Lakes navigation system, the Soo Locks are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan between the upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Soo Locks enable bulk carrier vessels to safely bypass the swift-moving St. Marys River rapids where the water drops 21 feet over bedrock in a three-quarter mile stretch. The St. Marys River is the only connecting waterway between Lakes Superior and the lower Great Lakes. Before the first lock was constructed in 1798, trade canoes had to be unloaded and portaged around the rapids, taking roughly six weeks to complete. Today, the locks operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 42 weeks of the year allowing government, commercial and private vessels to transit safely and more efficiently.

  • ERDC, Buffalo District release dredged material guidance manual for Great Lakes region

    Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Great Lakes Districts — Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago — recently released a technical report which provides guidance for evaluating the environmental suitability of dredged material in the Great Lakes region.

  • Corps of Engineers schedules Enbridge Line 5 EIS public meetings

    DETROIT– The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting three public scoping meetings for Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline Tunnel project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping process. The EIS’s 60-day scoping process began August 15 with the Notice of Intent (NOI) publishing in the Federal Register. Tribal Nations, agencies, communities, organizations, citizens and other stakeholders can provide input through October 14, 2022 via mail, through the project website or at the in-person or virtual public meetings as follows: • Sept. 1, 2022, 5-8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (Virtual): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83590131384 or by phone 309-205-3325 using Webinar ID: 835 9013 1384 • Sept. 8, 2022, 3-8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (In-Person) at the Little Bear Arena, 275 Marquette Street in Saint Ignace, Michigan 49781 • Oct. 6, 2022, 1-4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (Virtual): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82961743672 or by phone 309-205-3325 using Webinar ID: 829 6174 3672

  • Corps of Engineers to begin dredging, beach nourishment in South Haven

    DETROIT- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will place South Haven harbor dredge material near-shore to nourish South Beach starting next week. Sampling results confirm the proposed outer harbor dredge material is suitable for beneficial reuse as nourishment material. About 18,000 cubic yards of material from the federal navigation channel will be placed south of the South Pier in South Haven, Michigan. “We understand the eroded area in front of the water treatment plant may seem the logical placement site, however, we do not have National Environmental Policy Act approval to place there this year,” said Elizabeth Newell Wilkinson Grand Haven Resident Engineer. “We are hard at work on the required Environmental Assessment to evaluate whether or not we will be able to place material there next year and are hopeful in the results.”

  • Corps of Engineers begins Line 5 tunnel EIS scoping process

    DETROIT– The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline tunnel project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping process with the Notice of Intent (NOI) publishing in the Federal Register today. The NOI informs the public of the upcoming environmental analysis and describes how the public can become involved in the EIS process for the Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline Tunnel project proposal to cross the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Michigan. “The Notice of Intent starts the scoping process, the 60-day period in which the Corps of Engineers solicits Tribal Nation, agency and public input to help define the range of issues and potential alternatives the EIS should address,” said Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Brett Boyle. “The Corps of Engineers will ensure all voices are heard in an open, transparent and public EIS process.”

  • Safety changes coming for Charlevoix South Pier

    DETROIT- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to remove the ancillary walkway on the Charlevoix Harbor South Pier in Charlevoix, Michigan due to safety concerns. Waves and ice movement have repeatedly caused damage to the walkway and its removal will provide cost savings and improve the wave attenuator’s functionality on the adjacent walkway. The purpose of the attenuator is to reduce energy and impact of incoming waves. “This particular section of the pier has been closed since October 2020 because it is unsafe for pedestrian traffic,” said Elizabeth Newell Wilkinson Grand Haven Resident Engineer. “The benefits of removing it outweigh the alternative of extensive repairs and costly maintenance.”

  • Corps of Engineers awards $1.068 billion of the New Lock at the Soo Phase 3 contract

    SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District anticipates Phase 3 construction will start this summer with the $1.068 billion of the New Lock at the Soo Phase 3 contract award July 1, 2022. Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT), a joint venture headquartered in Westerville, Ohio will begin constructing the largest phase, the new lock chamber and rehabilitation of the downstream approach walls. This contract allows the contractor to begin work. With continued funding, the remaining work, valued at $803.95 million may be awarded over the next three years. Corps of Engineers officials expect Phase 3 construction to take seven years. "The Corps of Engineers looks forward to beginning construction on the new lock chamber later this summer, and we continue to work hard to maintain the pace and continue to make progress toward New Lock at the Soo total project completion in summer 2030,” said New Lock at the Soo Project Manager Mollie Mahoney.

  • Entry period open for Detroit District annual photo contest

    The Detroit District invites photographers to enter its 7th annual photo contest featuring U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites across the Great Lakes. The top 12 photographs highlighting Detroit District Great Lakes projects such as the Soo Locks, Duluth Ship Canal, piers, breakwaters or federal channels and harbors will earn a spot in the 2023 downloadable calendar. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. July 4, with winners determined by social media vote. The Soo Locks Visitors Center Association will award the top three photographers a plaque featuring their photo. “The photo contest is an exciting way for us to connect with our community,” said District Commander Lt. Col. Scott Katalenich. “We are pleased to continue the tradition and look forward to seeing all of the great submissions.”

  • MacArthur Lock opening after seasonal maintenance, extended repair

    The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock will open to marine traffic June 19, 2022, after completing a critical repair that took longer than expected. The MacArthur lock was set to reopen in late April but replacing the almost 79-year-old tainter valve machinery, original to the lock built in 1943, caused the closure’s 59-day extension. “The tainter valve machinery replacement contract was a very large task,” Soo Locks Construction Chief Nicholas Pettit said. “The original machinery had to be cut into pieces and removed by crane out through a small access tunnel. The new machinery had to be fabricated in sections, lowered by crane in through the small tunnel and installed inside of the lock.”