Great Lakes Tunnel project shows progress
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers updates schedule
May 7, 2025
“We’re ready to build.”
That’s the message Enbridge is sharing about its Great Lakes Tunnel Project after an important update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
On May 2, the USACE said it will issue a decision this fall on the project. The agency shared an updated timeline as part of the current Administration’s emergency energy declaration.
“We are encouraged by the updated schedule,” said Paul Meneghini, Enbridge’s community engagement manager in Michigan.
“Enbridge submitted project permit applications for the Great Lakes Tunnel project to state and federal regulators in April 2020—more than five years ago,” Meneghini continued.
“We’re ready to get going.”
In 2021, the State of Michigan issued its environmental permits for the tunnel project, and in 2023, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved placing the new pipeline segment in the tunnel as Line 5 crosses the Straits of Mackinac. Earlier this year, Enbridge re-applied for a state environmental permit, which is set to expire in early 2026.
The tunnel project is needed
Line 5 is critical energy infrastructure, and this infrastructure project will enhance the safety and reliability of energy transportation in the Great Lakes region while protecting the environment and respecting the concerns of local communities.
“We’ve done our homework. To date, more than 40,000 field hours of environmental and cultural survey work has been completed in the Straits to inform regulators and the public of our approach to environmental and public health protection and to respond to the USACE’s demanding permitting process,” said Meneghini.
This is an artist’s conception of the Tunnel Boring Machine that will excavate under the Straits of Mackinac.
The project would involve construction of a roughly four-mile-long tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes to house the Line 5 pipeline. Line 5 carries light crude and natural gas liquids used to power Michigan and the region.
“We are ready to build the tunnel as soon as we get the federal and state permits,” said Meneghini.
On May 7, Enbridge will hold a grand re-opening of its Informational Center in St. Ignace. The public can get a closeup view of a working model of the Tunnel Boring Machine.
“We’ve been working on this project for about eight years. We’ve assembled what we believe is the best team in the world to build the Great Lakes Tunnel. This directly benefits Michigan and the larger region, and we’re ready to go!"
—Paul Meneghini, Enbridge manager of community engagement in Michigan
“The technology, expertise and the new generation of Tunnel Boring Machines make our tunnel project not only safe, but also extremely reliable,” said Meneghini.
Tunnels are being built around the globe and in the U.S. with such notable projects as the wastewater project on the Potomac, as well as the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion across the Chesapeake Bay.
