Development: Chickamauga Lock

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to take a tour of the new Chickamauga Lock being constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

This is big business.

Think about it like this; the current lock can only handle one barge at a time with a standby (wait) of 16-18 hours. The new lock with its 110’ x 600’ capacity can handle nine barges……

Basic math says the new lock can handle 9x more than the current one and do it in 2.5 hours. 

The potential for Economic Development is incredible. Full circle for me as it was one of the first projects Representative Chuck Fleischmann undertook when I was a lowly staffer some 15 years ago. Kudos to both he and our Congressional Delegation for the commitment to this project that protects an invaluable TVA asset.

As of now, there has been over $987 million dollars funded that not only helps complete the project but also pays the salaries for hundreds of workers in our area further boosting our economic might.