The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced yesterday that two consortiums and a company have pre-qualified to participate in a public bid for the construction of a bridge over the Atlantic end on the Panama Canal.
The proposed prequalified are: Consorcio Acciona Infraestructuras-Tradeco -(Spain and Mexico); Odebrecht – Hyundai Joint Venture – (Brazil – Korea) and Vinci Construction Grands Projets – (France).
The Panama Canal Authority in a press released informed that they reached to the decision after a Technical Board from Panama Canal professionals analysed the information presented by the companies wishing to compete in order to value their technical criteria, experience and financial capacity.
The groups and the company pre-qualifies will now participate on the second process, where the contractor will be selected for the construction of the bridge. The phase starts up by handing over to the pre-qualifies parties the public bid documents with the design and specifications, field visits and finally receipt of the proposals approximately in August 2012.
This public bid is based on article 3 Law number 28 of 17 July 2006 that approves the Panama Canal expansion, building the new set of locks and a new vehicle crossing on the Atlantic side to cross over the canal and link both sides. The design is inspired on similar bridges in Spain, Korea France, China and Japan.
It is foreseen that will be Delta type, like an inverted “Y” and four lanes. The bridge will be 4.6Km and 75meters over the sea level. The bridge will be 3km north of the Gatun locks and the new complex of post-Panamax locks being built at the Atlantic side in Colon.
(source: El SIglo – ultimas noticias – Panama 29 March 2012 via Maria Dixon)
