It Is Officially Spring in Michigan as the Soo Locks Open for 2019

The 1000' Great Lakes freighter Stewart J Cort was the first through the Soo Locks in the Spring of 2019.

The Spring thaw often comes slowly to Michigan but we know things are warming up when the first ship passes through the Soo Locks. Closed each year for maintenance in the middle of January, the Locks are now open for the season allowing freighters, barges, tugboats and vessels of any size to travel between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain and operate the locks, shared the news on their Facebook page:

Arriving just in time for the midnight opening of the Poe Lock, the 1000-foot long Stewart J. Cort officially kicked off the start of the 2019 navigation season at the Soo Locks.

Nearly 7,000 ships sail through the Soo Locks each year, and often jockey for position to claim the honor of being the first each year. The Stewart J Cort was also the first in 2017.

h/t MLive