Panama Canal Eyes New Bridge or Tunnel

(joc.com ) Authority seeks proposals for alternative vehicle routes across Atlantic side

The Panama Canal Authority said it released a request for proposals last Friday to select a contractor to conduct a study of constructing alternative routes for vehicles crossing the canal on its Atlantic side.

The scope of work includes analyzing the feasibility of building either a bridge or a tunnel north of the existing Gatun Locks and the new post-Panamax locks complex, and subsequently, determining the best alternative.

The canal authority has set a 30-day deadline for contractors to submit their proposals for this non-negotiated best value bid.

A committee of canal authority engineers will evaluate the proposals and reserves the right to contract the services of external consultants to make recommendations on the submissions. The technical portion of the proposals will constitute 65 percent of the total score, while the price proposals will represent 35 percent.

The authority expects to award the contract in January 2010. The selected contractor will have seven months to present the studies.

Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com .

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Original Source: http://www.joc.com/node/414742
Date Retrieved: November 19, 2009