Army Corps Awards Extra $50M To Great Lakes

The Great Lakes will see more money to address navigation and dredging projects this year.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved an extra $51.8 million for regional projects.

All in all, Great Lakes infrastructure will receive $154.5 million for maintenance and operations this year, said Marie Strum, chief of engineering and technical services with the Detroit District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“That’s really a phenomenal funding level for the Great Lakes,” Strum said. “We’ll be dredging 31 navigation projects, working on a number of structural repair projects and get a good amount of investment at the Soo Locks. It’s a very high level of funding for the lakes.”

Strum said the Great Lakes compete for funding with projects nationwide. But, she noted aging infrastructure is placing a high priority on Great Lakes projects.

Funding for the Soo Locks at Sault St. Marie, Michigan, will repair infrastructure that will allow gates to open smoothly at the Poe Lock. The money will also fund repairs to the West Center Pier where ships tie off, as well as replace lifting beams and anchorages. The Soo Locks will receive a total of nearly $10 million from the Army Corps this year.

President Donald Trump has proposed around $8.9 million for the Soo Locks in his 2018 budget, which would target repairs at the Poe and MacArthur Locks. In comparison, former President Barack Obama proposed about $5.9 million for the agency’s 2017 budget.

“It is essential that we are given funding that allows us to replace parts that have worn or become obsolete to be able to operate … This funding is really essential in terms of keeping the Great Lakes navigation system operational to our commercial and other shipping interests,” she said.

In Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Two Rivers are among cities that will receive more money for pier and dock maintenance.

Two Rivers will see $500,000 go toward repairing a pier that’s been blocked off from public access. City Manager Greg Buckley said the funding provides a temporary fix.

“We’d sure like to see that money parlayed into or invested into a larger project that would involve a permanent fix to that structure because it really takes a pounding on Lake Michigan whether it’s from fall storms or when you see that structure totally encased in ice in the middle of the winter,” Buckley said.

He added the city needs another $1 million to permanently fix the pier, according to Army Corps estimates. Milwaukee will receive $2.3 million as part of breakwater repairs.

The extra Army Corps funds will also help the agency chip away at its backlog of dredging needs across the Great Lakes.