Representatives of the work have reported that the trail left by the failed attempt of France to build an interoceanic passage in 1880, the lock opened in 1914 and the recent widening of the rails of the Panama Canal can be seen from the longest bridge in the country , whose construction has advanced 83%.
In this regard, the vice president of Engineering and Program Management of the Canal, Ilya Espino de Marotta, said that the work in the form of “and” inverted that began to be built since 2013 in Colon, in the course of the Atlantic sector on the waterway , records an advance of 83%.
In particular, the crossing, about 4.5 kilometers long, will connect the Caribbean city of Colón with 495 villages in the Costa Abajo area, which currently can only be communicated through a rotating bridge over the Gatún locks, which it resists vehicles of little tonnage, and the ferries that cross the cars by sea.
With a cable-stayed section of 1,050 meters, preceded by access viaducts with structures cemented at 41 different points, including 4 abutments and 37 piles; Espino says it will become an icon of tourism and commercial development in the area.
In this regard, the official said that “the construction of tourism infrastructure around the heritage zone of the Canal will depend on the Ministry of Environment and other state entities. The Panama Canal Authority will only be responsible for approving compatibility permits. ”
The official specified that “the bridge built 100 percent reinforced concrete is unique in the world in its size, with a distance between its main columns of 530 meters.” On the environmental impact of the area indicated that wildlife rescue and reforestation plans were implemented.