Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 8°56′35″N 79°33′54″W / 8.9431°N 79.565°W |
| Carries | Four lanes of Carretera Panama-Arraijan, pedestrians and bicycles |
| Crosses | Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal |
| Locale | Balboa, Panama |
| Official name | Puente de las Américas |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel through arch bridge John F. Beasly & Company |
| Total length | 1,654 m (5,425 ft) |
| Width | 10.4 m (34 ft) |
| Longest span | 344 m (1,128 ft) |
| Clearance below | 61.3 m (201 ft) at high tide |
| History | |
| Opened | October 12, 1962 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 35,000 (2004) |
| Location | |
The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by American civil engineering company Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 at a cost of US$20 million. Two other bridges cross the canal: the Atlantic Bridge at the Gatun locks and the Centennial Bridge.