Past Sunday, May 17, the Panama Canal Authority organized public tours for the expanded part of canal on the Pacific side of locks. This historic event allowed visitors to see the part of the future expanded canal which will be soon filled with water.
The event was free to attend and visitors were arriving in Cocoli until 4 p.m., the further access to the construction site was only available with the transportation provided by ACP. On average, tours took 45 minutes.
Pacific locks of the expanded Canal
ACP hosted similar event earlier on May 10 for the workers of Panama Canal and their families.
High safety measures were taken for the event. Visitors had to wear long pants and sneakers. Alcohol, pets and minors under 12 years old were not allowed. Soon the chamber of the new locks will be filled with water and what the visitors have observed on May 17th will be hidden for many future generations.
Since 2007 the Panama Canal is under major project of Expansion with the cost of more than $5.5 billion dollars. The expanded part of the world-famous route will commence its operations on April 1, 2016, according to the recent official statement of Roberto Roy, Minister of Canal Affairs. No doubt, that such massive infrastracture project will create a become a great source of Panama economy growth.
