Construction at the Soo Locks site showing monoliths, tower cranes and excavation for the new large lock chamber.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, September 15, 2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revised the certified cost estimate for the new Soo Locks large lock from nearly $3.0 billion to about $2.62 billion after awarding all contract options and removing contingency tied to unawarded sub‑phases, trimming roughly $250 million of project risk. Construction remains on track for a scheduled summer completion. Reported federal funding totals vary above $2.2 billion, and managers cite a near‑term need of about $103 million to keep work moving. Phase three work is under way with bedrock excavation, monolith placement and three tall tower cranes on site.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revised the certified cost estimate for the new lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie to roughly $2.62 billion, a nearly 13% decrease from a prior near-$3.0 billion estimate. Agency officials say the project remains on schedule for completion in the summer of 2030. The downward change followed the closing and award of all major contract options, which allowed elimination of previously held contingency amounts tied to sub‑phases.
Eliminating contingency tied to unawarded contract options removed about $250 million of risk from the estimate. The project has received substantial appropriations to date, though published materials show two differing totals for money provided so far: $2.321 billion in one account and $2.231 billion in another. Internal planning anticipates needing about $103 million to continue construction through fiscal 2027, and a separate federal budget proposal for fiscal 2026 included $176 million for the new lock.
The planned structure will mirror the existing large Poe Lock with a chamber roughly 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide. The Poe Lock currently handles the largest Great Lakes freighters and moves the majority of bulk ore between Lakes Superior and Huron. Federal studies warn that an unplanned extended Poe outage could cause massive economic harm; one risk assessment estimated impacts as high as $1.1 trillion in lost GDP and the temporary loss of up to 11 million jobs if a closure lasted about six months.
Construction began in 2020. The project is now in its third phase, focused on building the new lock chamber, after completing upstream channel deepening and approach-wall rehabilitation in earlier phases. On-site milestones reported over the last year include demolition of a century-old lock structure, filling a secondary lock footprint with bedrock and debris, completion of a new bridge to a power plant in January, and construction of the third of three tall tower cranes. The cranes, each between 240 and 270 feet tall, are among the tallest structures in the region.
Progress reporting includes two different tallies of completed work: one account cites more than $630 million completed to date while another lists an estimated $543 million completed through the end of February 2025. Reported activities completed or underway include downstream approach walls, new bridge and pump construction, bedrock excavation using hydraulic “hoe rams,” blasting operations that began in February 2025, start of monolith concrete work in December 2024, and demolition and excavation in the footprint of the old lock being rebuilt.
The Corps used a virtual ship-simulation study to check alignment and approach-wall lengths and adjusted the design by lengthening the north upstream approach wall and adding timber fenders on the south upstream approach. The lock walls are being built as a series of giant concrete monoliths; 81 monoliths are planned and just over 50 have been started, with one finished. The concrete mix is unusually stiff and uses large aggregate so workers can walk on top of placements before the concrete sets.
Authorization and funding history is complex. The project was originally authorized in 1986 and reauthorized and expanded after a series of feasibility updates. Reauthorization figures have grown over time—from an earlier cap of about $922 million to a later reauthorization at $3.219 billion. The increase reflects labor, supply chain and material cost pressures. Multiple federal funding sources provided hundreds of millions in recent years, including stimulus and budget provisions. Lawmakers and industry leaders have expressed concern about rising costs and stressed the need for Congressional action on reauthorization and oversight; some measures addressing project flexibility and funding have been considered in broader water-resources legislation.
Builders face winter conditions, the need to work around two active locks and ongoing navigation, and specialized dredging that colors water reddish-brown in some areas. Contractors must cross navigation channels and operate near live shipping lanes while demolishing and excavating within existing lock footprints. The project schedule has different estimates for phase three duration—one account says about six years, another about seven—which may reflect changing work plans and market conditions.
Key items to monitor include final congressional reauthorization language and any additional appropriations, delivery of the next fiscal-year construction funding, continued achievement of on-site milestones, and resolution of the differing published figures for both funding-to-date and completed work. The Corps is updating cost estimates to send to Congress for reauthorization consideration, and planners say the new lock remains central to redundancy and resilience for Great Lakes shipping and the steel supply chain.
The most recent certified estimate is approximately $2.62 billion, down from a near-$3.0 billion figure after contingency reductions tied to awarded contracts.
Completion is planned for the summer of 2030, with the project remaining on track according to current Corps schedules.
Published materials show two different totals for funding to date: $2.321 billion and $2.231 billion. Officials continue to track appropriations and report updates to Congress.
Done work includes approach-wall rehabilitation, upstream channel deepening to 30 feet, a new bridge to the power plant, a new pump, demolition of an older lock, filling another lock footprint, and progress on monolith construction. Reported completed-work totals vary between $543 million and $630 million.
The second Poe-sized lock provides redundancy for large freighters that carry most ore through the waterway. A prolonged outage of the Poe Lock risks severe supply-chain and economic impacts.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Latest certified cost estimate | $2.62 billion (approx.) |
| Target completion | Summer 2030 |
| New lock size | 1,200 ft × 110 ft (Poe-sized) |
| Funding to date (reported) | $2.321B and $2.231B (two published figures) |
| Work completed (reported) | $543M (through Feb 2025) and $630M+ (alternate figure) |
| Major onsite methods | Bedrock blasting, hydraulic hoe rams, monolith concrete placement, tower cranes |
| Design adjustments | Lengthened north upstream approach wall; added timber fenders on south upstream approach |
| Notable risks | Market conditions, inflation, labor and material costs, funding gaps, winter work limits |
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