Boatnerd News – July 16, 2022

July 16, 2022

Corps of Engineers begin next phase of construction on new Soo lock

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District anticipates phase 3 of construction on the new Soo lock project will start this summer after the $1.068 billion contract was awarded earlier this month.

Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC, a joint venture headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, will begin constructing the largest phase, the new lock chamber and rehabilitation of the downstream approach walls. The recently announced contract allows the contractor to begin work.

With continued funding, the remaining work, valued at $803.95 million, may be awarded over the next three years. Corps of Engineers officials expect phase 3 construction to take seven years.

“The Corps of Engineers looks forward to beginning 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 New Lock at the Soo total project completion in summer 2030,” said New Lock at the Soo Project Manager Mollie Mahoney.

With phase 1 nearly complete and phase 2 scheduled for completion in summer 2024, officials said the third construction phase is a big milestone for the project. A major cost increase led to a five-month contract award delay while the Corps of Engineers developed necessary reports to deliver a new cost estimate for reauthorization to Congress. They said the root causes for the cost increase are changing market conditions, inflation, a nationwide labor shortage, design modifications and early estimate assumptions.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Great Lakes iron ore trade down 32.6 percent in June

CLEVELAND, OH – Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 3.9 million tons in June, a decrease of 32.6 percent from 2021. Shipments were 29.5 percent below the month’s 5-year average.

Year-to-date the iron ore trade stands at 13.8 million tons, 33.5 percent below the previous year’s total of 20.7 million tons. Iron shipments are below their 5-year average by 30.9 percent for the first half of the year.

Lake Carriers’ Association

Corps of Engineers awards contract to dredge Duluth-Superior Harbor

DETROIT, MI – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, awarded a contract for dredging at Duluth-Superior Harbor in western Lake Superior on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, to begin early August.

The $2.72 million contract is awarded to Roen Salvage Co., from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The contract is to mechanically dredge about 76,000 cubic yards of material from the harbor. The dredged material will be placed at Erie Pier Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) and the 40th Avenue West Placement Area. Dredging will begin in early August and will be complete by November 1, with Erie Pier site work complete by March 2023.

“Maintenance dredging executed under this contract will allow ships to safely navigate in the Duluth-Superior Harbor and approximately half of the material will be beneficially used for habitat restoration at the 40th Avenue placement site,” said Project Manager Stephen Rumple.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

Obituary: Max Hanley

Max Hanley, age 65, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, passed away on June 30th, 2022.

Max was born in Ludington, Michigan, to Lyle and Chieko Hanley on May 1, 1957. He attended school at Ludington High School and Baker College in Muskegon, Michigan. On October 12th 1991, Max married JoLynn Dale Hanley in Ludington.

After 25 years of working at Great Lakes Castings Corporation, he took early retirement and landed his dream job at Lake Michigan Carferry where he was able to work in information technology and use his talent and unique eye to photograph and sail on the ships that he was crazy about. Additionally, he dived into the C&O Carferries and the Pere Marquette Railroad archives, fulfilling the great desires of his historian’s heart.