Phase 3 of the project is expected to take seven years to complete and work on the phase is expected to begin this summer
The cost of the new lock project reached $1.068 billion as the US Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District announced a new contract for the project’s third phase.
Ohio-based Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT) will begin construction on the largest phase of the project this summer, a phase expected to take seven years.
The following is a full announcement of project costs in addition to details of the ongoing construction process:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District expects Phase 3 construction to begin this summer with the $1.068 billion New Lock awarding the Soo Phase 3 contract on July 1, 2022.
Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC (KAT), a joint venture based in Westerville, Ohio, will begin construction of the largest phase, the new lock chamber and rehabilitation of the downstream approach walls. This contract allows the contractor to begin work. If funding continues, the remaining work, valued at $803.95 million, could be awarded over the next three years. Corps of Engineers officials expect construction of Phase 3 to take seven years.
“The Corps of Engineers looks forward to starting construction on the new lock chamber later this summer, and we continue to work hard to maintain the pace and continue to make progress toward the New Lock at the full completion of the Soo project in the summer of 2030.” ” said New Close Soo project manager Mollie Mahoney.
With Phase 1 almost complete and Phase 2 scheduled for completion in the summer of 2024, the third construction phase is a major milestone for the project. A large cost increase led to a five-month delay in awarding a contract while the Corps of Engineers developed the necessary reports to provide a new cost estimate to Congress for reauthorization. The primary reasons for the cost increase are changing market conditions, inflation, nationwide labor shortages, design modifications and early estimate assumptions.
Cost changes since the project was authorized in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 are that initial costs have changed from $922 million to $2.932 billion and fully funded project costs have changed from $1.031 billion to $3.189 billion . The initial cost of the project is for use in project authorization and is calculated in today’s dollars. The fully funded project cost allows for escalation through the mid-point of construction and predicts what the project will cost.
“We recognize that funding a larger amount for the New Lock at Soo is a challenge that could potentially result in schedule impacts,” said Deputy District Engineer Kevin McDaniels. “The Corps of Engineers is partnering with industry and federal agencies to find collaborative solutions aimed at addressing the cost impact of Corps of Engineers programs and projects across the country.”
The first phase of the upstream channel deepening project began in spring 2020 and is substantially complete with remaining strike list items and final cleanup. The second phase of the upstream wall rehabilitation project began in spring 2021 and is scheduled to be completed in summer 2024.
The Soo Locks are located on the St. Marys in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and allow ships to pass the 21-foot elevation change in the St. Marys Falls. Over 88 percent of the cargo tonnage through the Soo Locks is limited by vessel size to the Poe Lock. This new lock project will construct a second Poe-sized lock (110′ by 1200′) on the existing decommissioned Davis and Sabin lock site.
A 2015 Department of Homeland Security study estimated that a six-month closure of the Poe Lock would temporarily reduce US gross domestic product (GDP) by $1.1 trillion, resulting in the loss of 11 million jobs. This critical node of the Great Lakes navigation system is essential to U.S. manufacturing and national security, according to the study.
For more information on the New Lock at the Soo project, visit our website
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