Windemuller Inc. of Wayland has won a $6.3 million contract to overhaul control systems for the second largest of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie.
The two-year agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is for upgrading the instrumentation and control system and installing a new Homeland Security-grade camera system on the 800-foot long, 80-foot wide lock.
Windemuller, in a prepared statement, announced that the system will feature state-of-the art cameras, digital controls and power distribution, with “special emphasis on operator safety and reducing the vulnerability to terrorism and natural disaster.”
The Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged security issues built into the lock system in February’s Great Lakes Navigation Report. The Four Soo Locks are an important part of the Great Lakes shipping industry.
The naviagtion report indicated that 35 percent of iron ore and coal shipments that come through the Soo Locks could be re-routed over existing infrastructure if there is an unscheduled closure of the lock system.
