Kayla Clarke , Senior Web Producer
Kayla Clarke , Senior Web Producer
The Soo Locks’ MacArthur Lock is opening to marine traffic today after undergoing a critical repair that took longer than officials expected it would.
The MacArthur Lock was set to reopen in April, but there was a 59-day extension of the closure because officials had to replace the tainter valve machinery.
Read: Soo Locks to close to marine traffic for winter maintenance
“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.”
A $7.2 million contract was awarded in August 2020 with lots of time allowed to manufacture the mechanical components of the lock. Officials said if the extended closure had happened to the larger Poe Lock it would have halted nearly all shipping.
Read: Army Corps of Engineers receives $479M to modernize Soo Locks
“The extended MacArthur Lock closure caused increased wait times for many vessels using the Soo Locks,” Area Engineer Kevin Sprague said. “The maintenance team worked with the contractor to get the tainter valve machinery project completed as quickly as possible. Our locks crews also worked very hard keeping vessels moving through the Poe Lock as quickly and safely as possible.”
The MacArthur Lock closed on Dec. 15, 2021 for maintenance and the valve project. Crews completed hydraulic steel structure inspections and repaired the lock’s miter gate 5 sill.
Click here if you’d like to learn more about the Soo Locks.
Read: Why Soo Locks are so important to US economy: Unlocking value of engineering gem
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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.
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