Nicholson's Midwest Team Headed to Soo Lock for Expansion Project

April 18, 2023
Kalamazoo, MI

Nicholson Construction’s Midwest team was recently awarded the grout curtain portion of the work for the new Soo Lock.

The New Lock at the Soo - Phase 3 is the largest portion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'(USACE) seven-year, $3.189 billion-dollar mega-project focused on construction of a new lock chamber at the Soo Locks in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.

The Soo Locks sit on the St. Marys River and permit vessels to cross the 21-foot change in elevation along the St. Marys Falls Canal. Currently, almost 90% of the commodities transported through the project are restricted to using the 1,200'x 110' Poe Lock.

The New Lock at the Soo Project will construct a second, Poe-sized lock in place of the existing decommissioned Sabin and Davis locks.

The Kokosing Alberici Traylor (KAT) joint venture selected Nicholson to install the roughly 2,000-linear-foot grout curtain situated around the new lock footprint to mitigate water infiltration during excavation. In addition to the base curtain, Nicholson will design and install an additional independent curtain wall around Shaft 6 to mitigate water infiltration during excavation of the 100' deep shaft.

“We love anyopportunity to work in our home state of Michigan,” said Dan Thome, Senior Vice President of Nicholson’s Midwest Region. “This project is great for the community and we’re proud to be part of it.”

This portion of Nicholson’s work is scheduled to be completed between May and December 2023.

Nicholson Construction’s Midwest team was recently awarded the grout curtain portion of the work for the new Soo Lock.

The New Lock at the Soo - Phase 3 is the largest portion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'(USACE) seven-year, $3.189 billion-dollar mega-project focused on construction of a new lock chamber at the Soo Locks in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.

The Soo Locks sit on the St. Marys River and permit vessels to cross the 21-foot change in elevation along the St. Marys Falls Canal. Currently, almost 90% of the commodities transported through the project are restricted to using the 1,200'x 110' Poe Lock.

The New Lock at the Soo Project will construct a second, Poe-sized lock in place of the existing decommissioned Sabin and Davis locks.

The Kokosing Alberici Traylor (KAT) joint venture selected Nicholson to install the roughly 2,000-linear-foot grout curtain situated around the new lock footprint to mitigate water infiltration during excavation. In addition to the base curtain, Nicholson will design and install an additional independent curtain wall around Shaft 6 to mitigate water infiltration during excavation of the 100' deep shaft.

“We love anyopportunity to work in our home state of Michigan,” said Dan Thome, Senior Vice President of Nicholson’s Midwest Region. “This project is great for the community and we’re proud to be part of it.”

This portion of Nicholson’s work is scheduled to be completed between May and December 2023.

About Nicholson Construction Company

Nicholson has been both a leader and an innovator in the geotechnical construction industry for more than 60 years. With regional offices across the country and headquarters located in Pittsburgh, Nicholson is a nationally renowned specialty contractor, offering proven expertise in the design and installation of deep foundation elements, earth retention systems and ground treatment solutions. We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently provide our clients with innovative, high-quality design-build options for projects of varying size and complexity. Nicholson is the North American subsidiary of Soletanche Bachy, one of the world’s leading geotechnical contractors, and is part of a global network of unparalleled geotechnical resources and expertise.

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