Concrete demolition in progress at Soo Locks, noise expected 6 days a week

Karly Graham, Sault Ste. Marie News
·1 min read

SAULT STE. MARIE — Construction rages on in Sault Ste. Marie, with progress continuing on the New Lock at the Soo project.

According to a Facebook post from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Sabin Lock is being demolished to allow for the construction of the new lock.

The project is being done by Koksing Alberici Traylor of Westerville, Ohio, who the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the $213.8 million bid to, according to past reporting from The Sault News.

Currently, Koksing Alberici Traylor is working to remove the concrete walls left by the Sabin Lock. Several hoe-rams and a rock trencher are being used to take on the walls.

While progress continues on the lock, residents and visitors can expect to hear noise from concrete demolition six days a week until April 2025, according to the Facebook post. Similar sounds may be heard on an intermittent basis beyond April 2025 as well.

The Soo Locks run for 10 months of the year, with maintenance being done the other two months. Currently, a new lock is being constructed at the Locks with the same dimensions as the 1,200-foot-long by 110-foot-wide Poe Lock.
The Soo Locks run for 10 months of the year, with maintenance being done the other two months. Currently, a new lock is being constructed at the Locks with the same dimensions as the 1,200-foot-long by 110-foot-wide Poe Lock.

Subscribe: Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

The new lock being built is expected to be the same dimensions as the Poe Lock, which is 1,200 feet long by 110 feet wide. The Poe Lock was rebuilt in 1968, according to saultstemarie.org. The Sabin Lock was built in 1919.

Construction of the new lock is expected to take up to 10 years, and construction began in 2019.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, District Detroit could not immediately be reached for comment.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN. 

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Concrete demolition in progress at Soo Locks, noise expected until 2025