Written by Bill Peoples
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District
Ashland City, TN – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is offering public access to Cheatham Navigation Lock, located at Cumberland River mile 148.7. The lock is open to visitors seven days a week from 9:00am to 5:00pm from May 26th until September 6th, 2016.
Allowing people to visit the lock enhances community relations and lets people see how the lock facilitates movement of commerce within the U.S. Inland Waterway System.
During normal lake levels, the lock will lift a boat 26-foot from the river below the dam to the lake above the dam. The lock releases more than 17 million gallons of water each time it is emptied.
The average tonnage of all commodities transported through Cheatham Lock is 8.5 million tons, which equates to approximately 5,600 full barges. The major commodities are coal, sand and petroleum. There are approximately 3,000 lockages for recreational traffic each year.
Congress authorized the project in 1946 as a navigation project to enhance the development of the Cumberland River Basin. Construction on the Lock began in 1949 and was opened to navigation traffic in August 1951.
The lock is located at 1799 Cheatham Dam Road, Ashland City, TN, 37015-9805, and at mile 148.7 of the Cumberland River in Cheatham County. Public restrooms are available during visiting hours.
For more information please contact the Cheatham Lake Resource Manager’s Office at 615.792.5697.
