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Michigan Commits $50 Million To Soo Locks Upgrade

Soo Locks
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Michigan has earmarked $50 million as a down payment towards the billion dollar cost of upgrading the Soo Locks.  Governor Rick Snyder and legislative leaders announced it will be part of the new state budget

Their goal – announced at aconference on Mackinac Island –  is to kickstart construction of a new lock that can accommodate modern freighters traveling between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.  

Snyder says they want to get other states, Canadian provinces, and the federal government to fund the project.  It’s been stalled since the 1980s.

“Michigan is stepping up right now to say we’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

Congress has authorized the project, but the US Army Corps of Engineers has not made a priority of upgrading the locks.  President Donald Trump said it’s time to build a new lock a month ago at a rally in Macomb County

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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network.  Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org

Rick Pluta is the managing editor for the Michigan Public Radio Network.
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