The Cape Cod Canal was built to provide a safer, shorter, and more efficient route for ships traveling between Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay, avoiding the treacherous journey around the outer banks of Cape Cod.
The idea of a canal was first considered by Pilgrim leaders in the 1600s.
The Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts was first built between 1909 and 1914 by the Boston, Cape Cod & New York Canal Company.
- Construction began: June 1909
- Opened to vessel traffic: July 29, 1914 (as a privately owned, toll canal), but it went into disrepair
- 1927 The U.S. government purchased the canal from the Boston, Cape Cod & New York Canal Company
- There was widening/deepening: 1935–1940 (the Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt it to today’s dimensions and currently maintains it).
- The two vehicle bridges over the canal were built during the depression by the Corps of Engineers
- The project was part of a massive government-funded effort to create jobs (1400) during the Great Depression.
- The improvements made the Cape Cod Canal the widest sea-level canal in the world by 1940.
Cape Cod Canal at work.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
how much of a return has the “train to nowhere” generated? began in 2008-held up by the lefties–was supposed to be done by 2020–supposed to cost $33 billion but now estimated at $145 billion–originally connect LA to San Fran–now they say Merced to Bakersfield. DOT head Duffy has halted U.S. money to the boondoggle and of course the lefties are super critical (shocking!!! just shocking!!).
Project after project exceeds costs and time because of environmentalists–unions—and government regulations.
this is not the Depression Era when we had basically no debt and could afford the Bourne and Sagamore–how long has it taken them to do just the plans and the lefty environmental study for the new Sagamore?
of course historians will tell you the Roosevelt word salad projects like NRA–CCC—and WPA did little to nothing to create jobs–it was the big war–the 12/7/41 attack–the European theatre , etc. et al that got the economy rolling.
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