A "Fourth Bridge" Will Be Built Over The Panama Canal
A fourth bridge over the Panama Canal, - with the third to be built by the Panama Canal Authority - will soon be tendered by the Government. The cost of the project is unknown and the "most logical position is close to Bridge of the Americas," said Public Works Minister, José Federico Suarez. The new structure should have "a higher road capacity - of 6 to 8 lanes - and for transportation, call it mass transit, like a short distance or suburban train, heavy rail, or bus line," said Suarez. The minister said the fourth bridge is a necessity, because in 10 years the population of West Panama will exceed one million. (Critica)
Editor's Comment: The existing infrastructure already can't handle the load. The "third bridge" is scheduled to be built on the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal. With the construction of the expanded Panama Canal the current method of driving over a swing bridge at the water level will no longer work. The government also wants to build a highway to connect Colon with Bocas del Toro on the Atlantic coast, to open all of that land up to development.
