U.S.-China Joint Venture Wins Panama Canal Bridge Design Contract

The Panama Canal Authority awarded the contract to design a bridge on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal near the Gatun Locks to a Chinese-U.S. joint venture. The China Communications Construction Co. and the Louis Berger Group offered a $4.66-million proposal, the lowest bid offered.

The structure will be 75 meters above sea level and 5 km long, including the approaches. The other firms proffering bids included TYPSA Principia, URS Holdings, Puente de Colón JV, ARUP and T.Y. Lin International.

The bridge is required to maintain a road passage across the isthmus with the construction of the new larger locks required for the $5.2-billion Third Lane Expansion Project.

C.J. Schexnayder is the Editor of ENR California and ENR Northwest. He has contributed to ENR's coverage of the construction industry for more than a decade. His work has focused on major projects, industry trends and emerging technology. He previously was the South America correspondent for the magazine based in Lima, Peru. During that time, he covered numerous large-scale infrastructure projects across the region including the Third Lane Expansion of the Panama Canal. In addition, CJ has been an award-winning newspaper reporter in Southern California, Texas and Louisiana.

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