Report Says Soo Locks Upgrade Would Boost Economy

A federal report lists upgrades to the Soo Locks among 40 proposed projects nationwide to boost the economy.

The locks network at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, enables vessels to move between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes.

The report says more than 60 percent of the ships in the U.S. and Canadian fleet are so large that they can fit through only one of the locks.

The report says building a second Poe-sized lock would pump up to $1.7 billion into the economy – about three times more than it would cost.

The project was authorized in 1986 but hasn’t been funded.