While presiding at Monday’s unveiling of the first concrete monolith at the new Chickamauga Lock, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joe Sahl seasoned his history with a dash of self-effacing humor.
“The lock we’re replacing was inaugurated in 1940 with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in attendance,” he said. “Today, you get me.”
The monolith, 87 feet tall and made of enough concrete to support 150 homes, was formally completed Monday when a crane removed the final piece of formwork. Sahl, the Nashville District commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, called it a great achievement.
“This is a moment we’ve been waiting for a long time,” he said. “It’s a milestone for this project, one that couldn’t be done without the work of more than 400 dedicated professionals,” including those from contractor Shimmick Construction as well as the Corps.