C.J. Schexnayder The new locks for the Panama Canal on the Pacific side will be built near the existing Miraflores locks in the footprint of a previous expansion effort abandoned due to World War II. The Panama Canal Authority has opened the bid process for the $3.35-billion locks portion of the ongoing massive expansion of the historic waterway. The "design-build" contracts will include the construction of two new sets of locks allowing the massive post-Panamax ships to utilize the waterway. The entire $5.25 billion expansion is expected to double the capacity of the historic waterway by the time it is

C.J. Schexnayder Progress on the $5.2-billion expansion of the Panama Canal has picked up steam with the awarding of the second of five dry excavation contracts to create a $400-million Pacific Locks Access Channel and the approval of entire project's Environmental Impact Assessment by the Panamanian authorities. At the end of November, Consorcio Cilsa Minera, made up of Mexico's Constructora de Infraestructura Latinoamericana SA (or CILSA) and Panamanian firm Minera Mar�a, presented the low bid of $25.5 million to excavate 7.5 million cubic meters of material in a 2.4 kilometer stretch just north of where the new Pacific locks will

C.J. Schexnayder Panamaxed out. Larger locks will mean larger vessels will be able to use the canal in 2014. On Friday, four consortia applied for qualification to build the $3.35-billion locks that will be the heart of the massive expansion to the Panama Canal. When completed, the new lock system will double the capacity of the historic waterway. "The locks project is the most important contract under the Expansion Program, and we foresee strong competition for the project," said Jorge L. Quijano, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Program Management with the Panama Canal Authority. "The companies that have submitted

+ click to enlarge C.J. Schexnayder Gatun locks mark Atlantic side of Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Authority took a first step in the $3.35–billion effort to construct a new set of locks, with the Aug. 28 release of a request for pre–qualifications. The locks, which will be located on each end of the canal and add a new lane of traffic, are the largest and most complicated aspect of the $5.25–billion expansion of the historic waterway. It is expected to be completed in 2014. Often known by its Spanish–language acronym, ACP, the quasi–governmental organization intends to build both new

The Panama Canal Authority has initiated the search for a program manager who will help oversee the management of the $5.25-billion expansion project that includes the construction of two massive sets of new locks. C. J. Schexnayder Canal expansion management team will oversee 10 major contracts in a multi-year program estimated at $5.25 billion. Last Friday the ACP – the quasi-governmental body that oversees the historic waterway – released a request for proposal for the program manager position. The winning firm will assist the ACP in the management of approximately 10 major contracts, interfacing with both design and construction teams.

Standing on a barge cruising through the Panama Canal's Gaillard Cut, Maximiliano DePuy beams proudly. The geotechnical engineer for the Panama Canal Authority points to the 539-ft-high Gold Hill promontory on one side of the waterway, from which 75 ft of rock has been cut out since 1986. On the opposite bank looms Contractor's Hill, already reduced to 370 ft in previous work. Stabilizing the canal's landslide-prone slopes metaphorically represents protecting a precious pathway for Panama, owner of the 51.2-mile-long construction landmark since 2000, when the U.S. turned it over to the locally run Panama Canal Authority. THEN AND NOW