The U.S. Senate on Nov. 7 joined the House in overriding President Bush's veto, opening the door to the spending of $23 billion for Army Corps of Engineers water-related projects across the nation.

Among the construction plums for Michigan in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA): a long-awaited new $342-million lock in Sault Ste. Marie. The new lock would be a twin for the Poe Lock, and provide a backup in case the Poe experiences mechanical failure or sabotage.

Congress authorized a new lock in Sault Ste. Marie as part of its 1986 Water Resources Development Act, but made the project subject to a provision requiring a study of the project. And the federal government nearly "studied" the new lock to death.

"This legislation says to the U.S. Army Corps that you shall build this new lock," said Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee). "The time for studies is over." The lock will be 100 percent federally funded.

Stupak and others have warned that if the Poe Lock were ever incapacitated, Great Lakes shipping would grind to a halt.

The largest lock at the Soo, the 1,000-foot long by 105-foot wide Poe Lock was completed in 1968 and handles the biggest iron ore- and bulk-cargo freighters. Also at the Soo are McArthur Lock (completed in 1944, 800 ft. long by 80 ft. wide) and the smaller Davis and Sabin locks, which were built more than 80 years ago.

Plans call for removing the Davis and Sabin locks and replacing them with the larger lock.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT at the Soo Locks are the MacArthur, Poe, Davis and Sabin locks. Plans are to demolish the Davis and Sabin, which are more than 80 years old, replacing them with a single lock.