Asset Renewal Program (ARP)
Starting in 2009, the SLSDC initiated its 10-year U.S. Seaway Asset Renewal Program (ARP) for its navigation infrastructure and facilities. The 52 ARP projects and equipment included in the ARP Capital Investment Plan (CIP) address various needs for the two U.S. Seaway locks, the Seaway International Bridge connecting Ontario and New York, maintenance dredging, operational systems, and Corporation facilities and equipment. None of these investments will result in increases to the authorized depth or width of the navigation channel or to the size of the two existing U.S. locks. The ARP marks the first time in the Seaway’s history that a coordinated effort to repair and modernize the U.S. Seaway infrastructure has taken place.
For the FY 2012-2016 time frame, the Seaway ARP/CIP includes 39 projects and equipment estimated at $100.2 million with total funding for each year of the plan constrained to funding targets for those years as estimated and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Dollar amounts for ARP projects are “project feasibility” estimates and can vary by an industry-recognized 20-30 percent. Currently, the overall ARP remains on schedule to be completed within the original 10-year timeframe. Project estimates and schedules may fluctuate at various points in the lifespan of the ARP and will be revised as needed.
The Seaway ARP supports the engineering considerations highlighted in the November 2007 binational Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Study. The study evaluated the infrastructure needs of the U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes Seaway System and assessed the economic, environmental, and engineering implications of those needs pertaining to commercial navigation. During its work on the study, the SLSDC measured its infrastructure assets using a Corps-based lock criticality index to better identify and prioritize maintenance and replacement needs. The results of the initial index were used to develop the ARP. In addition, many of the lock-related ARP improvements will parallel activities underway at the Canadian Seaway locks.
SLSDC FY 2012-16 Asset Renewal Program (ARP) Capital Investment Plan (CIP)
ARP Semiannual Reports to the Congress