Tenn-Tom Waterway repairs ahead of schedule

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway could partially be open for business in a couple of weeks.

An emergency channel should be open May 1.

Waterway Authority Director Mitch Mays said work being done by the Corps of Engineers is ahead of schedule.

Crews did have to stop operations one day, due to strong currents.

Debris in the river was removed before going in with the machine that has removed nearly a half-mile-long sandbar created by flood waters.

The emergency channel is 150 feet wide.

Mays said money has already been approved to continue work to open the entire channel to 300 feet wide.

The price tag is around $8.9 million to get the Tenn-Tom back to normal.