Panama Canal Expansion Breaks Ground

They came from every province of Panama and from across the globe to witness history: the beginning of the historic expansion of the Panama Canal. The crowd, totaling an estimated 30,000, included world leaders in business and government. They joined employees of the Panamanian government and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in a ceremony and groundbreaking to celebrate the beginning of the first-ever expansion of the nearly 100-year-old waterway. Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and longer, wider ships. Today's event inaugurates the first construction project of expansion: a dry excavation project on Paraiso Hill that begins the construction of the new Pacific Locks access channel. The new Pacific Locks access channel will ultimately connect the Gaillard Cut to the new Pacific Locks.

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YouTube | September 5, 2007

Tags:. .gaillard. .acp. .waterway. .paraiso. .firstever