WASHINGTON – A long-proposed plan to build a new navigation lock on the Great Lakes in Michigan — and put thousands of people to work — won final approval in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, a key step toward making the project reality.

The Senate voted 99-1 in favor of a $4.4-billion package of water infrastructure projects and spending that included a measure authorizing $922 million to be spent on the new lock at the iconic Soo Locks in Sault St. Marie on the Upper Peninsula.

Once funded, construction of the new lock could put about 15,000 people to work. The U.S. House already approved the bill, so now it goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

For decades, Great Lakes shippers and their supporters in Michigan have argued for the construction of a second lock capable of handling the largest vessels on the Lakes, saying that if the one lock at the Soo currently able to handle those vessels broke down, it could send ripple effects through the economy.

The Soo Locks lower or raise cargo vessels and other boats between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes along what would otherwise be a dangerous 21-foot drop along the St. Marys River.

The Free Press first reported some years ago on the details of a Homeland Security report that indicated that a prolonged shutdown of the existing Poe Lock could lead to a potential recession, depending on the time of year, because there would be no other adequate way to get iron ore pellets to steelmakers, in turn affecting auto and appliance manufacturers and others.

Almost all of those iron ore pellets are moved on the big 1,000-footers, which only the 50-year-old Poe Lock can currently handle.

“We know how vital the locks are to our economy and our national defense," said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who, along with practically all of the rest of the state's delegation to Congress, had pushed for the authorization. "We also know that we are on borrowed time until something happens that shuts them down. This is a significant win that will help ensure this vital gateway for commerce and jobs stays open.”

To read more on this story:

New Soo Lock that could employ thousands in Michigan pushes forward

U.S. House authorizes $922 million for Soo Lock project in Michigan

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said now it falls to Congress and the Trump administration to find the necessary funding to complete the project in the years to come.

“Our national economy depends on the Soo Locks to transport millions of tons of raw goods every year. However, some of the pumps that operate the locks are over 100 years old, and while that’s a testament to the work of the Army Corps of Engineers who have kept the locks operational, it is simply not sustainable for the future," he said.

While the measure authorizes the project, however, it doesn't guarantee its construction: Congress, in the years to come, will still have to find ways to include the necessary funding in its annual appropriations bills in order to pay for the project. And large projects — especially those on a large backlog of projects run by the Army Corps of Engineers — can take a decade or longer to happen.

Contact Todd Spangler: 703-854-8947 or tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.