Friday, September 13, 2013

Panama Canal locks project makes progress

The Panama Canal Expansion Program has poured 3 million cubic meters of concrete in the construction of the new lock complexes for its expansion program, marking significant progression toward lock completion, according to a statement by the Panama Canal Authority.

"This signals the progress of the construction of the new locks, which is the most important project of the Expansion Program," said Jorge L. Quijano, Panama Canal administrator. "The expanded Panama Canal will allow the waterway to provide a better service to our customers and be more competitive."

The milestone was hit during the construction of the new locks in the Atlantic side, specifically in the second monolith located in the east wing wall water outlet, the statement said. The wing walls are located at either end of the lock complexes, where the massive culverts that are part of the filling and emptying system of the locks end.

Since the wing wall will be permanently exposed to ocean water, a marine structural concrete mix was used, providing a greater protection to the reinforcement steel in the presence of chlorides. The construction of the new locks includes the use of reinforced steel, technology invented since the construction of the current Panama Canal.

As of mid-August, the Expansion Program is 64 percent complete, the PCA said.


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