Access To The Centennial Bridge Will Be Redesigned
(Panama-Guide) - Panama America - Panama's Minister of Public Works, Federico Suarez, said he has managed to stabilize the access to the Centennial Bridge that gave way during the recent torrential rains which caused the collapse of one of major slabs of the road. Suarez said this work being done ensure the stability of the roadway is maintained during the more extensive work that will be done later. He said that soon they would be announcing the details of the redesign of the structure of the roadway that leads to the bridge, a major construction project expected to begin in January 2011.
Suarez said the company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), which is responsible for the maintenance of the roadways leading to the Centennial bridge, had reported that the point where the roadway collapsed warranted a much deeper analysis. He added that inspections and audits are being conducted to determine what materials were used in the original construction of the project, and to determine if procedures were correctly performed. "We are performing an independent diagnosis of the views that have been offered by several professionals," Suarez said while at the same time he guaranteed that those who are responsible must cope with their responsibilities.
An Operation To Control Vehicular Traffic and Flow - Realizing that they have to keep traffic running (even in peak hours), Suarez said during weekdays they will conduct an "operation" from 5:00 am to 9:00 am allowing traffic to flow from the West toward the center of Panama City. From 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, traffic will flow in the opposite direction - leaving Panama City and heading into the interior of the country towards La Chorrera. For this weekend, starting from tomorrow (Friday, 24 December) flow of traffic will be opened starting at 12:00 noon to allow traffic to leave the center of Panama City towards the West. For Saturday, December 25 the road will remain completely closed during the day to take advantage of Christmas and to get some work done. The bridge will reopen again at 12:00 noon on Sunday 26 December with traffic flowing back towards Panama City from the interior.
The Bridge of the Americas - Suarez said they are monitoring the crack that has opened up which has worried many drivers in the Western part from the center of the city. However he acknowledged that the Bridge of the Americas is a critical point for the flow of traffic, and any work to be done would have serious consequences for the flow of traffic.
******
Original Source: Panama-Guide
Date Retrieved: December 23, 2010.
