Amazing Soo Locks Are Refilling and Will Open This Wednesday

A couple of years ago I wrote about the Soo Locks, the nautical wonder that enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. It always closes for the winter, January through March. They do it to begin work to maintain the locks. They literally drain the locks, "dewatering," as they call it.

Crews would then clear away the ice that was left behind so that they can safely work on the lock floor. It's amazing to see the "dewatered" locks!

Then they get busy inspecting the interior and make needed repairs.

👇 BELOW: FIND OUT WHAT THEY FOUND AT BOTTOM OF SOO LOCKS! 👇

But now, with spring here and repairs made, it's time to fill-er-up!

An average of 10,000 ships pass through the locks every year throughout the shipping season.

What a history the locks have since they were opened in 1855. and were among the great infrastructure engineering projects of the United States. The Soo Locks were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

Currently the locks need to be enlarged so that larger ships are able to make it into the Great Lakes after the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened and made passage of such ships possible. The Poe Lock, seen being cleared above, is the only lock that can handle the large lake freighters used on the Upper Lakes.

So now a new lock is under construction and should be completed by 2030. It will be equal in size to the current Poe Lock and will provide much needed additional capacity for the large lake freighters.

The Soo Locks are a pride of Michigan, with thousands of tourists visiting and taking boat tours every year.