News

Another big infrastructure project is set to change Panama Bay. Government authorities have confirmed plans to build a viaduct that will connect the coast with the Amador Causeway.

Plans call for a kilometer of a four-lane highway, in addition to a cycle path, walkways and a marine viewpoint. The route would start near the Maracaná football stadium and include roundabouts and returns to help access on and off Amador, which will soon welcome a new convention center and cruise port.

The $50 million projects is one more example of what is clearly a major move to transform Panama Bay. We’ve already reported on plans to return sandy beaches to the bay, which would change the downtown experience. And we’ve already seen the impact of the Cinta Costera, which has added miles of coastal walking and biking trails to the Bay, making downtown a great city for a healthy waterfront lifestyle.

This new plan should help ease traffic and make it easier to access all the great amenities developing on Amador, which is one of the city’s real jewels.

“A significant increase in the flow of cars and people is projected in Amador due to the commissioning of the convention center and the cruise port,” Prensa reports. “Both projects will be ready after the second quarter of this year.”

The project has been discussed for the last couple of years, but it now appears to be moving again. A public-private partnership will likely be used to finance the project, government officials said this week.

The publication of “the specifications for the design, construction and financing” of the viaduct were expected to go out this week. The new viaducts should be ready by 2022, in time for the inauguration of the Central American and Caribbean Sports Games, according to the Prensa reports.