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The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the Tenn-Tom) is a 234-mile (377-kilometer) man-made waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway links commercial navigation from the nation’s midsection to the Gulf of Mexico. The major features of the waterway are 10 locks and dams, a deep cut between the Tombigbee River watershed and the Tennessee River watershed, and of navigation channels.〔“Tenn-Tom Waterway Key Components.” 2009. Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority. Available at The ten locks are the same dimension as the locks on the Mississippi.〔 〕〔 〕 Under construction for twelve years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway was completed in December 1984 at a total cost of nearly $2 billion.〔“About the Tenn-Tom Waterway.” 2009. Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority. Available at The Tenn-Tom encompasses 17 public ports and terminals, of land, and another managed by state conservation agencies for wildlife habitat preservation and recreational use.〔 Supported by southern Congressmen, the Tenn-Tom Waterway was widely criticized at its creation as an example of exorbitant "pork barrel" spending. However, in succeeding years it has become an example of government investment in infrastructure yielding economic benefits over time. ==Early history and construction== First proposed in the Colonial period, the idea for a commercial waterway link between the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers did not receive serious attention until the advent of steamboat traffic in the early nineteenth century. As steamboat efficiency gains caused water transport costs to decline, in 1875, for the first time, engineers surveyed a potential canal route.〔Van West, Carroll. ''Tennessee History''. University of Tennessee Press, 1998.〕 However, they issued a negative report at that point in time, emphasizing that prohibitive cost estimates still prevented the project from economic feasibility.〔 Enthusiasm for the project languished until the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The development of the Tennessee River by TVA, especially the construction of the Pickwick Lock and Dam in 1938, helped decrease Tenn-Tom's potential economic costs and increase its potential benefits.〔 As early as 1941 the proposal was combined with other waterways, such as the St. Lawrence seaway, with the aim of building broader political support.〔TheSt. PetersburgTimes, April 13, 1941, pg 10〕 Additionally, political candidates began to favor the construction of the waterway for political reasons, that is, in order to appeal to the voters in the South, rather than for economic reasons. In the early 1960s it was proposed that the canal could be created by use of atomic blasts.〔The Florence (Alabama) Times, September 21, 1960, pg 3〕 As part of his "Southern Strategy" for reelection, President Nixon included $1 million in the Corps of Engineers' 1971 budget to start construction of the Tenn-Tom.〔Ward, Rufus. ''Tombigbee River. History Press, 2010.〕 Funding shortages and legal challenges delayed construction until December 1972, but President Nixon’s efforts nevertheless initiated official Tenn-Tom waterway construction.〔 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work on the project in 1972. During the construction process, land excavation reached about in depth. The Tenn-Tom is the largest earth-moving project in world history, requiring the excavation of nearly 310 million cubic yards of soil.〔 (This is the equivalent of more than 100-million dump truck loads and more dirt than required in the Panama Canal.) The project was completed on December 12, 1984, nearly two years ahead of schedule.〔Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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