Bridge of the Americas - Balboa, Panama
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neoc1
N 08° 56.580 W 079° 33.879
17P E 657805 N 988857
The Bridge of the Americas (Sp. Puente de las Americas) spans the southeast end of the Panama Canal at the Pacific Ocean.
Waymark Code: WMZVB6
Location: Panama
Date Posted: 01/08/2019
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The Bridge of the Americas spans the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal at Balboa, Panama. This steel arch bridge was was designed by Sverdrup and Parcel, cost $20,000,000, construction began on October 12, 1959, and the bridge opened on October 12, 1962. The bridge is 5,425' long. The center span is a tied arch which is 850' long and 384' high. The bridge is fixed and ships must pass under it. It has a clearance of 201' above mean sea level.
Originally, the bridge was named the Thatcher Ferry Bridge because the Thatcher Ferry, named after a former member of the canal commission, Maurice H. Thatcher, operated at this location. Before its inaugural opening, the government of Panama passed a resolution naming the structure the Bridge of the Americas. The renaming became official when Panama took control of the Canal Zone from the United States in 1979.