Lock repairs near completion

NEWS RELEASE

PARKS CANADA

************************* Recreational lock upgrades at the Sault Ste. Marie canal

What is being repaired and how is work progressing?

SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO - Repairs to the recreational lock at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada have posed a greater engineering challenge than originally anticipated.

However, repairs are nearing completion and the lock should be re-opening in the near future.

Although closed to boat traffic, the national historic site remains open to land-based visitors, offering guided tours and a staffed visitor centre.

Removal of the old gate anchors from the lower gates has begun and contractors will be fastening the new ones shortly.

Installation of the first sets of anchors is expected to take a couple of weeks.

The fitting of the second sets of anchors is anticipated to take less time.

The recreational lock has two sets of gates and each of the gates is attached to the lock wall using two anchors.

Parks Canada is in the final phases of replacing all eight of these anchors with new hinges that have been designed to better handle the weight of the gates and the water pressure.

In fact, the west (upper) gates weigh more than 10 tonnes and the east (lower) gates exceed 23 tonnes.

Throughout their 10-year cycle, the old anchors have been put through obvious stress.

The current project, in addition to contributing to the long-term sustainability of the lock, is also providing staff with an understanding of the impacts of forces and loads applied to these structures and their mechanical components.

The knowledge gained from this project will be incorporated into the preventive maintenance strategy.

Completed in 1895, the Sault Ste. Marie Canal was the largest lock in the world and the first to be electrically operated.

The construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal marked the completion of an all-Canadian waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior.

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