<P> By the late nineteenth century, technological advances and commercial pressure allowed construction to begin in earnest . Noted canal engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps led an initial attempt by France to build a sea - level canal . Beset by cost overruns due to the severe underestimation of the difficulties in excavating the rugged Panama land, heavy personnel losses in Panama due to tropical diseases, and political corruption in France surrounding the financing of the massive project, the project succeeded in only partially completing the canal . </P> <P> Interest in a U.S. - led canal effort picked up as soon as France abandoned the project . Initially, the Panama site was politically unfavorable in the U.S. for a variety of reasons, including the taint of the failed French efforts and the Colombian government's unfriendly attitude towards the U.S. continuing the project . The U.S. first sought to construct a completely new canal through Nicaragua instead . </P> <P> French engineer and financier Philippe - Jean Bunau - Varilla played a key role in changing U.S. attitudes . Bunau - Varilla had a large stake in the failed French canal company, and stood to make money on his investment only if the Panama Canal was completed . Extensive lobbying of U.S. lawmakers coupled with his support of a nascent independence movement among the Panamanian people led to a simultaneous revolution in Panama and the negotiation of the Hay--Bunau - Varilla Treaty which secured both independence for Panama and the right for the U.S. to lead a renewed effort to construct the canal . Colombia's response to the Panamanian independence movement was tempered by U.S. military presence; the move is often cited as a classic example of the era of gunboat diplomacy . </P> <P> U.S. success hinged on two factors . First was converting the original French sea - level plan to a more realistic lock - controlled canal . The second was controlling disease which decimated workers and management alike under the original French attempt . Initial chief engineer John Frank Stevens built much of the infrastructure necessary for later construction; slow progress on the canal itself led to his replacement by George Washington Goethals . Goethals oversaw the bulk of the excavation of the canal, including appointing Major David du Bose Gaillard to oversee the most daunting project, the Culebra Cut through the roughest terrain on the route . Almost as important as the engineering advances was the healthcare advances made during the construction, led by William C. Gorgas, an expert in controlling tropical diseases such as yellow fever and malaria . Gorgas was one of the first to recognize the role of mosquitoes in the spread of these diseases, and by focusing on controlling the mosquitoes greatly improved worker conditions . </P>

Who pushed for a canal across central america