Third canal bridge open to traffic

The   Atlantic Bridge, the third across the Panama Canal, was inaugurated on Friday, morning Aug 2 and opened to vehicular traffic at 2:00 pm

The cable-stayed  concrete bridge took six years to complete at a cost of $590 million with a workforce of 1,100

The four-lane structure is 75 meters above sea level.   According to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), 175,760 cubic meters of concrete and 36,900 tons of reinforced steel were used for its construction.  

Among its benefits are the continuous and interrupted connection of the province of Colón with the rest of the country, in addition to the incentive of tourism development through new investments.  

The Panama Canal Authority will be responsible for the maintenance of the structure – that this bridge will benefit the inhabitants of some 13 towns and 495 communities. 

The Atlantic Bridge is located at the North entrance of the Agua Clara locks, on the Expanded Canal, and represents not only better access to its residents, but it would bring an expansion of tourism on the Costa Abajo of Colón.

These communities have tourist attractions of beaches and historic sites, including Fort San Lorenzo