Cheboygan dam and locks project receives $3 million state grant

Sep 07, 2023

CHEBOYGAN — Planned upgrades for the Cheboygan locks and dam system near Lincoln Avenue are ongoing, with the intention of seeking bids from contractors in late spring or early summer.

According to Michigan Department of Natural Resources Regional Field Planner in Gaylord Ronda Osga, a $3 million Federal Land and Conservation Fund grant will go towards the total estimated project cost of $7 million. The DNR is currently seeking funding for the rest of the project while it works through the design and permitting process.

Cheboygan County was one of 13 recipients of the state grant, which awarded $7.4 million for land and water conservation projects. Alpena and Marquette counties were other Northern Michigan recipients.

The project has been broken up into two phases and will automate the dam gate using push-button controls, replace the lock butterfly valve and replace the downstream tail rail's west wall. Other work will include redevelopment of the riverbank gabion baskets using woven steel, wire mesh structures filled with stones which can be used for things such as river bank protection.

More:Cheboygan locks and dam to be upgraded by Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Construction is planned to take place in 2024. Some of the work will take place during the boating season, with some shut-downs possible, but Osga said they will try to work outside of the season as much as possible. Construction will likely go into fall and wrap up the following spring.

"(We) need to do periodic maintenance on a facility like this. The facilities are designed to last a long time. The kind of maintenance that it requires at this point are kind of big ticket items. So that's why it takes so long to get through the evaluation process," Osga said.

During construction, the river will continue to be open for use by boaters and others. The flow of the river will also not be affected. About 4,000 boats use the locks annually, both for recreation and commercial use.

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The Cheboygan Dam and Locks are over 150 years old, having been completed in 1869 after Cheboygan Slack Water Navigation Company was formed. The dam and locks were originally built to raise the water level of the Cheboygan River in order to transport lumber.

Despite its age, the dam and locks is still in fairly good shape due to regular maintenance and updates.

"There's some spalling of concrete so we're going to remove some of the concrete on the lock walls and take it back to a certain point and put in new concrete," Osga said. "These projects take a long time to get through a design process and fund so (we’re) trying to address them in a timely manner."

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey.