Chattanooga’s biggest construction project is continuing on the Tennessee River even though no new funding is being provided this year for the half-built endeavor.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is building the new and bigger lock through the Chickamauga Dam to handle more river barge traffic, provided no funds for the replacement lock in Chattanooga in its 2023 work plan despite increases in overall funding for infrastructure projects this year.
In President Joe Biden’s initial budget plan, the Chickamauga Lock was proposed to get $39.3 million in fiscal 2023 to fund the project to its completion, according to the Waterways Journal Weekly. But the Corps’ final work plan released last month provided no new funds for Chickamauga this year.
Deb Calhoun, senior vice president for the barge industry group Waterways Council Inc., said in a statement Wednesday the industry was disappointed.
“Chickamauga Lock, like many projects, is facing challenges, but we look forward to it becoming operational in 2026,” she said.