Waterway is Public Works Landmark
by Kneeland A. Godfrey, Jr., Sr. Ed.;Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1986, Vol. 56, Issue 7, Pg. 42-45
Document Type: Feature article
Abstract:
The $2 billion, 234 mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway connects the Tennessee River and the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile. The biggest Corps of Engineers civil-works project ever, it was created by excavating 300 million cu yd of earth, more than the Panama Canal. Innovative approaches are described. It also has 20 locks and dams, accommodating water-surface elevation changes of 341 ft. One technique widely used for lock/dam site dewatering was the slurry-trench method, which in some cases cut costs. More attention was paid to ameliorating environmental impact than on almost any other project. Special attention to the 14,000 acres of spoil-disposal area is described. The project was very widely criticized as unjustified economically; the political and economic history and future of the project are summarized.
Subject Headings: Project management | Waterways | Economic factors | Water surface | Rivers and streams | Political factors | Locks (dam)
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