Chickamauga Lock timeline points blame

A landside nose pier shell is lifted into place around drilled shafts after being delivered to the Chickamauga Lock site on April 5, 2025, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A report in the Chattanooga Times Free Press says a California contractor is blaming local workers and COVID for why it’s taking them so long to complete the Chickamauga Lock.

The Army Corps of Engineers is cancelling their contract with the “Shimmick” company which is one of the contractors for the new lock at the Chickamauga Dam.

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann accused them of making mistakes like bad concrete pours and work delays.

The newspaper investigated documents filed by the company.

They blamed local workers for refusing to wear masks or get vaccines during the COVID outbreak for delays and cost overruns.

The project has taken more than a decade but is in the final lap.

The final cost looks to be about five times what it was originally budgeted for.