APWA CONGRESS: Top Ten Public Works Projects of the Century unveiled at Congress
Top ten projects run the gamut from canals to dams to changing the course of a river.
By Joyce Everhart
Managing Editor, Public Works Online
There were few surprises and general agreement on the projects that rated the Top Ten Public Works Projects of the Century designation given by the American Public Works Association this week during the International Public Works Congress and Exposition.
Some projects were as modern as the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and others as historical as the Panama Canal. Some were structures such as the Hoover Dam. Others were systems such as the Interstate Highway Systems and still others were feats such as the reversal of the Chicago River. Each in some way changed the quality of life of those around it and each was a marvel for its time.
The following are five of the projects selected along with a brief description of the elements that made them so noteworthy. (The remaining five will be featured in part II of this series.) As they were announced with a video clip of each, one could only wonder what projects would be receiving this same designation when this new century draws to a close in 100 years.
Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART): San Francisco Bay Area's mass transit system opened to the public in 1974 as the largest single public works project ever undertaken in the United States by the local citizenry. The 75-mile-long system included ultra-modern streamlined cars and stations that reflected the cultural diversity of the local communities. The tube carrying the cars was the longest and deepest underwater tube tunnel in the world. Upon opening it cut the bay crossing to nine minutes and revolutionized transportation in the area. The system includes the world's first computer-supervised train control system and became the model for other systems to follow.
The Grand Coulee Dam and Columbia Basin Project: Containing around 12 million cubic yards of concrete, Grand Coulee Dam is one of the largest concrete structures in the world. Grand Coulee Dam operates as part of a coordinated federal system of hydroelectric facilities, which provides 75% of the entire power supply of the Pacific Northwest.
The economic values of the Columbia Basin Project include irrigated crops valued at more than half a billion dollars annually, annual hydropower production of approximately $585 million, and the prevention of more than $206 million in flood damages since 1950.
Tennessee Valley Project: This project resulted from President Roosevelt's request that the Tennessee Valley Authority "be charged with the broadest duty of planning for the proper use, conservation, and development of the natural resources of the Tennessee River drainage basin and its adjoining territory for the general, social, and economic welfare of the nation."
The project transformed an entire 80,000 square-mile region in the Tennessee River basin with the eventual construction of 29 hydroelectric dams and 11 coal-fired power plants. The dams controlled flooding, improved river navigation, and generated electricity. It forever changed and improved the environment and economic standards in the entire region and throughout the United States.
The Panama Canal: Battling tropical diseases and financial difficulties, the Panama Canal was finally completed in 1914 and immediately cut a 60-day trip around the horn to a quick passing through a series of locks and dams, which today handle up to 15,000 ships per year. IT was constructed to create its own energy and run on electricity with waterpower at the spillway generating electric current.
Interstate Highway System: President Eisenhower became convinced of the need for a good highway system both for defense and commerce following a coast to coast trip taking 62 days. The Interstate Highway Act resulted in the construction of 41,000 miles of highway, which has done more to bring Americans together than any other law. Usage levels were reached in some areas as much as a decade earlier.
Editor's note: See part II for remaining projects.