Construction of Fourth Panama Canal Bridge To Get Underway

FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Construction of Fourth Panama Canal Bridge To Get Underway

Dec. 5, 2018 (EIRNS)—Yesterday, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela gave the official order for construction of the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal to begin. Last June, the Panama Cuarto Puente consortium won the $1.4 billion contract to build the bridge, but could do nothing until an appeals court ruled on the appeal filed by rival bidders.

The Cuarto Puente group won the legal battle, and now Varela has given it the go ahead to proceed with the project. The consortium is made up of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and its subsidiary China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), and it can now proceed with the design and construction for what will be one of the biggest bridges built in Panama’s history. The group outbid companies from Spain, Italy, South Korea and China, to win the contract.

According to Global Construction Review, the 1.2 km cable-stayed bridge will be 50 meters wide and carry six lanes for vehicles and two for the trains of the future Metro Line 3. It will be built north of the Bridge of the Americas, near the Balboa port installations, and will connect Panama City to its western suburbs. Construction is expected to begin this year and will take three years to complete.

President Varela made his announcement Dec. 4, just one day after the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Panama has joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and during Xi’s visit, the two Presidents signed a score of infrastructure, tourism and development cooperation agreements.