New corridor configuration will boost bus use

THE NUMBER of passengers using the Metro bus system on the the Corredor Norte and Corredor Sur is forecast to rise from  32,500 to 121,000 with the government’s plan to reconfigure the lanes.

The cost of the changes will be $25.6 million according to information, published in PanamaCompra by the Ministry of Public Works.

The tender will be held in the middle of April.

The initiative will allow the Panama Mass Transport Company (Mi Bus) to provide an exclusive lane along both routes.

The idea is to enable six lanes on the corridors, instead of the four they currently have.

To do this, it will be necessary to take part of the shoulders and reduce the width of the lanes from 3.50

meters to 3.20 meters. The speed limit on the highways will be reduced to 80 kph.

The project includes signage and security measures to implement this strategy.

The exclusive lane for the Metro Buses had been initially promised to begin in March by President Juan

Carlos Varela However, it will now be implemented in August, reports La Prensa

The exclusive lane would be enabled in two periods of the day: from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7p.m.