America is rich. There's no reason we can't build a canal from NYC to Los Angeles.

One would have to cross other water ways… doable but hard. Like the Mississippi, the Colorado, etc. It would also geographically separate Migrating routes of land mammals more than roads and fences do. Canals are hard to cross with their higher walls than river banks. Would probably cost more in gas to send ships down and up it then just driving.. unless they floated downhill and then out into the pacific. Anyone have any idea which is higher generally LA or NYC? Also the salt water would leach into the ground d water of the Ogalalla water aquifer and all across the Midwest eventually killing Americas largest (but not most profitable) bread basket of corn and wheat. Peoples wells being contaminated. Unless you used the Great Lakes as a source of fresh water, which would actually be a good idea. Except for now the canal has to be shallower, and I don’t think the recharge rate of the lakes from rainfall and groundwater is high enough to supply trillions or cubic ft of water for a container ship canal from the E to W coast. It would shrink the Great Lakes by a fair amount and with continuous discharge into the canal you’d run out and the worlds largest freshwater lakes would be dry or they’d reach a stasis with the Pacific (unlikely). Bye bye midwestern lakes economy and millions of tons of related biomass.