78 beachLIFE EXPERIENCES WATERWAYS OF THE PANHANDLE
GULF INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
Work on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway began in fits and starts in the 1920s . Its purpose was both commercial and military : to create a contiguous stretch of protected waters for shipping along the northern Gulf Coast . When completed , it would extend 1,300 miles from Brownsville , Texas to Carabelle , Florida on Apalachee Bay . But the most challenging and expensive section would be saved for last .
This final section was the 26-mile canal that had to be cut between Choctawhatchee Bay and St . Andrew Bay . Within this stretch was an eight-mile
section that would be , by far , the most difficult of this incredibly challenging cut — an area called “ The Little Grand Canyon .” This part of the cut begins just a few miles into the canal from the Choctawhatchee Bay side .
The canal was the last of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to be undertaken and wouldn ’ t be completed until 1938 . Today it is open to navigation for commercial traffic — mainly barges — and recreational boats .
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between Choctawhatchee Bay and St . Andrew Bay is maintained by the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers . Two dredging operations worked toward one another — one moving from east to west , the other from west to east . After years of work , the two dredging operations finally met just a few miles east of Choctawhatchee Bay , forever joining the two bays .
The canal is a key waterway for barge traffic along the Gulf Coast , allowing for the transport of millions of tons of cargo annually . In 1944 , at the peak of the Second World War , over 3.5 million tons passed through the canal . Today it also serves as a popular waterway for local fishermen and recreational boaters . Its protected waters , bluffs and sandy bottom make it a suitable “ hurricane hole ” for vessels during cyclone season .