Vinci Construction Grands Projets, a subsidiary of Vinci SA, has secured a $366 million contract from Panama Canal Authority, a government agency for Panama Canal, for the development of the Atlantic Bridge in Panama.
The new 1,050m-long cable-stayed concrete bridge will be located 3km north of the Gatun locks, near the city of Colon. The new bridge will be carrying two lines of traffic in each direction. The central span of the bridge will be 530m and have 212.5m high pylons.
The vertical clearance of the new bridge will be 75m above the canal. According to Vinci, the Atlantic Bridge will be the longest concrete cable stayed bridge in the world with a central span of 530m.
The company plans to use cast in place decks for the bridge, which will prevent disruption of navigation in the canal. The new bridge will comply with the canal expansion programme, which includes offering a clearance to the largest container ships. Furthermore, the bridge will also allow vehicles to cross the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side, in both locks opened or close states.
The project also includes construction of access viaducts on either side of the bridge, which will have a total length of 2km, together with connections to the existing road network. The work on the project is scheduled to start in January 2013 and will span for three and a half years.