Malfunctioning MacArthur Lock Delays Shipping

Soo Locks Only Access Point form Superior to Huron

Sorry, this video is no longer available

The Great Lakes shipping industry is dealing with a mini-crisis.

One of the two operating locks at Sault Saint Marie’s Soo Locks malfunctioned July 30, causing the lock to be drained completely.

Shipping officials are saying the failure serves as a warning of what could happen if changes aren’t made soon. 

The MacArthur Lock is the smaller of the two locks, and serves ships under 800 feet in length. 

The closure has diverted all traffic into the larger Poe Lock.

The 1200 foot long lock, is generally reserved for 1000 foot lakers making the the 21 foot elevation change between Superior and Huron.

If the Poe Lock, which was built in 1968, were to suffer a failure on scale with the MacArthur Lock, there would be no way for ships over 800 feet to pass into or out of Lake Superior.

Essentially, the failure of the Poe would cripple Lake Superior shipping.

The shipping industry has been pushing to have the two locks that are currently out of use, the Sabin and Davis locks, to be rebuilt as one lock capable of handling 1,000 foot ships.

According to Glenn Nekvasil, of the Great Lake Carriers’ Association, the project was approved by congress in 2007.

The project was not completed though, because a cost to benefit analysis by the Army Corps of Engineers, said the cost of rebuilding the locks was too high.

Nekvasil did say that another study is currently underway and there is still hope for a new lock to be built in the future.

Repairs on the MacArthur Lock should be completed by August 9th.