Rivets and Slab to be Replaced on Panama’s Old Bridge of the Americas
The Bridge of the Americas will require a comprehensive maintenance plan to extend its lifespan by another 30 to 40 years. The main changes will involve the road surface, replacing rivets with bolts, and replacing the carbon fiber, among other things.
The Bridge of the Americas will require a comprehensive medium and long-term maintenance plan that includes everything from cleaning and repainting the areas affected by the fire on April 6th to more extensive structural interventions, such as the complete replacement of the road deck and existing rivets.
These changes will be necessary over the next few years to ensure safety and extend the structure’s lifespan. Specifically, at the forum “Bridge of the Americas: current situation”, held on May 28 and organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Technological University of Panama (UTP), specialists in structural engineering and authorities from the MOP analyzed the interventions necessary to preserve this metal structure of more than six decades of existence and 1,669 meters in length.
