UNESCO team in Panama to study impact of new causeway

A DELEGATION from UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (UN Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization) is in Panama to help decide the fate of the the designation of Casco Viejo as a world heritage site.

The mission was originally conceived in 2011 , with the task of monitoring the impact of the marine viaduct connecting the Balboa and Avenida des Poetas on the old city.

An earlier UNESCO mission in In October 2010 visited the site and warned of the negative impact of the construction of the proposed six lane highway which replaced original plans for a tunnel.
Strong opposition to the highway was overruled by President Ricardo Martinelli’s decision to go ahead with the highway which critics say is part of a plan to create a new high rise area similar to Punta Pacifica, and fronting Chorillo.
The viaduct contract was awarded by the Ministry of Public Works ( MOP) to the Brazilian capital company Norberto Odebrecht.