The Fourth Bridge Over the Panama Canal: Under Construction

Panamanians will have to patiently wait until 2028 to use the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal.  Its original design underwent changes, which extended the construction period, but things are back on track.

The Panama Fourth Bridge Consortium announced that the bridge should be ready mid-2028.  Currently the project is 15% complete (mainly in the design phase), which means that it will finally be completed 10 years after its award date.  The government of Laurentino Cortizo paused the work due to the lack of a structure that would finance its construction.  The contract price of the project is $2,138.9 million.

The project should have been delivered in June 2023, but as a result of some changes in the design and its financial structuring, which were not the responsibility of the contractor, its date was extended.  It was also learned that the contractor must also include the delivery of the system for toll collection.  Whether or not the collection will be implemented in its operational phase is an exclusive decision of the contracting party.

The fourth bridge over the Panama Canal has a length of 3.6 kilometers, includes the East and West approaches, and will have six lanes of vehicular traffic.  After many years on pause due to lack of financing, the project was reactivated on March 12 in the Farfán Industrial Complex, in the Panama Oeste sector.