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Three million cubic metres of concrete poured in new locks as multi-billion dollar expansion project reaches new milestone
The Panama Canal Expansion Program has made a significant stride forward with as much as three million cubic metres of concrete poured in the construction of the new lock complexes.
The milestone was registered during the construction of the new locks in the Atlantic side, specifically in the second monolith located in the east wing wall water outlet.
“This signals the progress of the construction of the new locks, which is the most important project of the Expansion Program,” said Panama Canal administrator, Jorge Quijano.
“The expanded Panama Canal will allow the waterway to provide a better service to our customers and be more competitive.”
The construction of the new locks includes the use of reinforced steel, a technology which did not exist during the construction of the current Panama Canal. Completing both new lock complexes will require a total of 4.3 million cubic metres of concrete.
The new lock complexes will require more concrete than the 3.4 million cubic metres used for the current Panama Canal, since they are 60 percent bigger.
As of mid-August, the Expansion Program is 64 percent complete. It will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double tonnage capacity to face the demand of world maritime trade.
