Great Lakes Shipping Season Getting Underway

Just after midnight Friday, ships will begin to pass through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. Area engineer for the locks Kevin Sprague tells Michigan News Network this is a busy time for shipping.

“Throughout the course of the year, we run probably just over 4,000 commercial cargo ships that come through the facility,” Sprague said. “Somewhere near 70 million tons of cargo per year comes through the facility.”

Sprague says they’re evaluating the cost-benefit ratio of building a new Poe Lock, estimated to cost $600 million. If that lock would go down, it’s believed $1.1 trillion of economic output would be lost.