Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 8°56′35″N 79°33′54″W / 8.9431°N 79.565°W |
Carries | Four lanes of Carretera Panama-Arraijan, pedestrians and bicycles |
Crosses | Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal |
Locale | Balboa, Panama |
Characteristics | |
Design | Steel through arch bridge John F. Beasly & Company |
Total length | 1,654 m (5,425 ft) |
Width | 10.4 m (34 ft) |
Longest span | 344 m (1,128 ft) |
Clearance below | 61.3 m (201 ft) at high tide |
History | |
Opened | October 12, 1962 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 35,000 (2004) |
Location | |
The Bridge of the Americas (
Description
The Bridge of the Americas crosses the
The bridge is a
The bridge has wide access ramps at each end, and pedestrian walkways on each side.
History
The need for a bridge
From the beginning of the French project to construct a canal, it was recognised that the cities of Colón and Panamá would be split from the rest of the republic by the new canal. This was an issue even during construction, when barges were used to ferry construction workers across the canal.
After the canal opened, the increasing number of cars, and the construction of a new road leading to Chiriquí, in the west of Panama, increased the need for some kind of crossing. The Panama Canal Mechanical Division addressed this in August 1931, with the commissioning of two new ferries, the Presidente Amador and President Washington.[2] This service was expanded in August 1940, with additional barges mainly serving the military.
On June 3, 1942, a road/rail swing bridge was inaugurated at the Miraflores locks; although only usable when no ships were passing, this provided some relief for traffic wishing to cross the canal. Still, it was clear that a more substantial solution would be required. To meet the growing needs of vehicle traffic, another ferry, the Presidente Porras, was added in November 1942.
The Bridge Project
The idea of a permanent bridge over the canal had been proposed as a major priority as early as 1923. Subsequent administrations of Panama pressed this issue with the United States, which controlled the Canal Zone; and in 1955 the
A contract worth $20,000,000 was awarded to John F. Beasly & Company who built the bridge out of steel and reinforced concrete, and the project was initiated in a ceremony which took place on December 23, 1958, in the presence of United States Ambassador Julian Harrington, and Panamanian President
The inauguration of the bridge took place on October 12, 1962, with great ceremony. The ribbon was cut by
Post-construction
When opened, the bridge was an important part of the Pan-American Highway, and carried around 9,500 vehicles per day; however, this expanded over time, and by 2004 the bridge was carrying 35,000 vehicles per day. The bridge therefore became a significant bottleneck on the highway, which led to the construction of the Centennial Bridge, which now carries the Pan-American Highway too. On May 18, 2010, the bulk cargo ship Atlantic Hero struck one of the protective bases of the bridge after losing engine power, partially blocking that section of the canal to shipping traffic. The bridge did not receive damage and there were no fatalities. In December 2010, the Centennial Bridge access road collapsed in a mudslide, and commercial traffic was diverted to the Bridge of The Americas.
The "Thatcher Ferry Bridge"
The bridge was originally named "Thatcher Ferry Bridge", after the original ferry which crossed the canal at about the same point. The ferry was, in turn, named after Maurice H. Thatcher, a former member of the Canal Commission, who introduced the legislation which created the ferry. Thatcher cut the tape at the inauguration of the bridge.
The name was unpopular with the government of Panama, however, which preferred the name "Bridge of the Americas". The Panamanian view was made official by a resolution of the
The resolution read as follows:
The bridge over the Panama Canal shall bear the name Bridge of the Americas. Said name will be used exclusively to identify said bridge.
Panamanian government officials shall reject any document in which reference is made to the bridge by any name other than "Bridge of the Americas". A copy of this resolution, with the appropriate note on style, shall be forwarded to all legislative bodies of the world, so that all may give the bridge the name chosen by this honorable assembly, complying with the express will of the Panamanian people. Given in the city of Panama on the second day of the month of October of nineteen hundred and sixty-two.
- President, Jorge Rubén Rosas
- Secretary, Alberto Arango N.
During the inauguration ceremony (which was concluded with the playing of the "Thatcher Ferry Bridge March"), U.S. Under Secretary of State
Nonetheless, the official name of the bridge became the "Thatcher Ferry Bridge" and remained so until Panamanian control in 1979.
See also
- Crossings of the Panama Canal
- The Pan-American Highway
- The Centennial Bridge
- Postage stamps and postal history of the Canal Zone
- List of bridges in Panama
References
- ^ a b c Durkee, Jackson (1999-05-24). "World's Longest Bridge Spans" (PDF). National Steel Bridge Alliance. pp. 20, 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2002-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Open Deck Ferry Is Unusually Roomy" bottom page 34 July 1935 Popular Science Monthly
- ^ "Panama Canal Zone – CZPolice". Archived from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- Bridge of the Americas at Structurae
- Bridge of the Americas Archived 2006-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, from World Headquarters
- The Building Of A Bridge, summary information from CZ Brats
- Bridge of the Americas, pictures from bridgemeister.com
- Inauguration Of The Bridge Of The Americas, from AlonsoRoy.com
- Aerial view of the Bridge from Google Maps
External links
- Media related to Bridge of the Americas, Panama at Wikimedia Commons