Atlantic Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The bridge in August 2019 | |
| Coordinates | 9°18′29″N79°55′07″W / 9.30796°N 79.91863°W /9.30796; -79.91863 (Atlantic Bridge) |
| Carries | Four lanes of traffic,pedestrians andbicycles |
| Crosses | Atlantic entrance to thePanama Canal |
| Locale | Colón, Panama |
| Official name | Puente Atlántico |
| Owner | Panama Canal Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | double-pylon, double-planecable-stayed bridge |
| Material | Prestressed concrete |
| Total length | 2,820 m (9,250 ft) |
| Height | 212.5 m (697 ft) |
| Longest span | 530 m (1,740 ft) |
| No. of spans | 3 (230, 530, 230 m) |
| Piers in water | 1 |
| Clearance below | 75 m (246 ft)[1] |
| History | |
| Designer | HPDI andLouis Berger Group |
| Constructed by | Vinci Construction Grands Projets |
| Construction start | January 2013 |
| Construction end | August 2019 |
| Location | |
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TheAtlantic Bridge (Spanish:Puente Atlántico) is aroad bridge inColón,Panama spanning theAtlantic entrance to thePanama Canal. Completed in 2019, it is the third bridge over the canal after theBridge of the Americas and theCentennial Bridge, both on thePacific side of the canal.
The bridge is a double-pylon, double-plane, concretegirder,cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 530 metres (1,740 ft) and two side spans of 230 metres (750 ft). The east and west approaches are 1,074 metres (3,524 ft) and 756 metres (2,480 ft) long, respectively. The bridge was designed by theChina Communication Construction Company[1] and built byVinci Construction.
The bridge is part of a local connection road (as yet unnamed) between Bolivar Highway in the east and the undeveloped western area. It will replace the nearby Panama Canal Ferry. It is the only bridge north of theCulebra Cut (Puente Centenario).
Three consortiums were approved to bid for the bridge construction:Acciona Infraestructuras -Tradeco (Spain and Mexico),Odebrecht–Hyundai Joint Venture (Brazil and Korea), andVinci Construction Grands Projets (France). Tenders were received in August 2012.[2]
In October 2012, the Panama Canal Authority awarded a contract to the French company Vinci Construction to build a third (permanent) bridge, near the Atlantic side, for an offer price ofUS$366 million.[3] At that time the bridge had no name, butThird bridge andAtlantic side bridge were used, as well asAtlantic Bridge.[4][5]
Construction of the bridge and access viaducts, which commenced in January 2013, was planned to take three and a half years and was expected to be completed in 2016.[6] The main span of the bridge was keyed (joined into a single span) on 6 September 2018.[7] The bridge was unveiled by Panama PresidentLaurentino Cortizo and Panama Canal Administrator Jorge Quijano on Friday 2 August 2019.[8]
