The project for the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal is 17% complete. This was informed by the head of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), José Luis Andrade, during a recent tour.
The construction process of the main tower on the east side of the fourth bridge began, a work whose delivery is scheduled for the end of 2028. For this project, two H-type towers will be built with 20 columns and their reinforced concrete heads, each of approximately 2,100 cubic meters (m³). The piles will be 2 m in diameter and approximately 18 m deep.
The first H tower, which will support the cables that will support the cable-stayed bridge, is being built on the north side of the bridge, on dry land – at La Arenera, in La Boca, corregimiento de Ancón – while progress is being made on the sea fill of more than 11,000 m³ on the south side. The other H tower will be located on the west side of the project, in Veracruz.
Once the backfill is completed, the Panama Fourth Bridge Consortium will proceed to build the other 20 piles, thus completing the full foundation. When completed, the tower will have a height of approximately 187 meters above sea level. Each pile will require about 80 m³ of concrete with a resistance of 35 megapascals, guaranteeing a useful life of more than 100 years.
In addition, the consortium will install the remaining piles on the left leg and proceed with the settlement of the base of the main tower, which will reach an elevation of 186 meters above sea level.
The other tower of the same type (H), on the west side, will support the suspension bridge. The cable-stayed span will have a total length of 965 meters, and will connect both sides of the Panama Canal.
An important milestone
During a tour with the media, Andrade said that with the construction of the first H tower, an important milestone of the fourth bridge project over the Panama Canal was reached, since the structure is one of the two main towers of the bridge.
“Six, months ago when we arrived here, this was impossible to think about, there was no infrastructure within the MOP to organize this project, and in less than six months we are on many fronts, working to meet the goal of delivering this project by 2028. We created the office of the fourth bridge, with exclusively Panamanian and highly experienced personnel”, said Andrade, who estimated that the work on the first tower alone will take between 4 and 5 months, and if there are no delays, by the summer [dry season] of 2025 they would be starting with the tower on the west side. He emphasized that of the $1,372.16 million budget for the work, 17%, or $233.27 million, has been executed.
Proof of commitment and dedication
For his part, Mario Montemayor, superintendent of the Panama Fourth Bridge Consortium, which is carrying out the project, told the media that “this progress is proof of the commitment and dedication of the entire consortium team working on this mega-project”. He emphasized that “with each step, we reaffirm our vision of transforming Panama’s infrastructure, guaranteeing not only a modern and safe bridge, but also a catalyst of development for nearby communities and an engine of progress for the entire country”.
