Soo Locks to undergo technological upgrade

The locks are scheduled to undergo a technological upgrade this summer to replace a half-century-old master control system that opens and closes the waterway passage.    The Soo Locks, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., will undergo a technological upgrade this summer, involving the replacement of a half-century-old master control system that opens and closes the waterway passage, according to a report from the Detroit News.
   The new computer system meets the demands of the growing high-tech maritime transport industry. “It’s just part of the general direction of the industry — everything is getting more digital and automated,” Soo Locks assistant area engineer Jim Peach said in a statement.
   Funding for the installation of the new control panels in the lockmaster’s tower, along with a pier-side shelter, is coming from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $31 million annual operating budget for the Soo Locks.
   Meanwhile, Michigan’s congressional delegation continues to lobby colleagues in Washington, D.C. for more than $500 million needed to construct a new 1,200-foot long lock.
   The Soo Locks Complex currently consists of four locks, however the Poe Lock, which is the only lock capable of handling 1,000-foot vessels, and the MacArthur Lock, are the only two that are actively used. The Davis Lock is only used by Soo Area Office vessels when necessary and the Sabin Lock was permanently decommissioned in 2010, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s website.