The Panamanian Government Begins Construction of the Fourth Bridge over the Panama Canal

The Panamanian government has begun construction of the Fourth Bridge over the Panama Canal, with an estimated investment of $1.3 billion. The project is being managed by the Panamá Cuarto Puente Consortium, made up of China Communications Construction Company LTD and China Harbour Engineering Company LTD.

Recently, President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen carried out an inspection visit to oversee the progress of the Fourth Bridge construction and the progress of Metro Line 3 — two megaprojects designed to improve the mobility of more than 2 million people and expected to generate hundreds of jobs.

It is estimated that the construction phase will generate approximately 3,500 jobs at its peak.

According to official sources, the main bridge will be a cable-stayed structure crossing the Panama Canal's navigation channel, with a main span of 485 meters and a total length of approximately 965 meters between expansion joints.

The bridge deck will have six traffic lanes, each 3.65 meters wide, plus two shoulders measuring 2.40 meters and 1.25 meters on the outer and inner edges, respectively. The bridge's cross-section will allow for a possible future expansion of the roadway to four lanes.

On the other hand, the west-side interchange will connect with the expanded Pan-American Highway, while the east-side interchange will link to the Albrook Interchange.

The project is estimated to be completed within four and a half years.

On another front, the Metro Line 3 project, heading toward Panamá Oeste, has reached 50% progress and is being carried out by the HPH Joint Venture consortium.