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The Panama Canal Engineering Wonder of 20th CenturyAccording to the American Society of Civil EngineersThe canal remains a testament to the combined skills of structural, geotechnical, hydraulic and sanitary engineers.Bridge of the Americas

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Map of Panama

Ended on November 6th 1903Vasco Nez de Balboa

Spanish Explorer

Governor

Conquistador

Crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 Isthmus of Panama Narrow Strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific OceanLinks North and South AmericaFormed over 3 million years ago Location is of great strategic value

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain)

In 1534 order the Panama Governor

first to believe and attempted

Ulysses S. Grant

Elected in 1869

In 1869 begins surveys in Mexico , Panama and Nicaragua French Canal CompanyBegan working on the Canal in 1880

Terrain

Diseases

Labor force

President Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the United States

Elected in 1901

Want U.S. control in Panama

Panama Revolution and IndependenceNovember 1903

Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty

Signed on November 18, 1903

Granted U.S. control over Panama Canal for a price

Negotiated by Phillipe Bunau-Varilla and U.S. Secretary of State John HayU.S Canal construction

Began in 1904

Employed thousands of Panamanians and U.S. construction companies

First ship traveled thru the canal in 1914

Officially finished in 1915

Archival Footagehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgK3BkRm6ATorrijos-Carter Treaties

Signed on September 7, 1977

Overruledoverturned the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903

Facts and FiguresConstruction began 1904 Opened Aug. 15, 191450 Miles long deep water to deep waterAverage depth 43 feetWidth varies between 500 to 1000 feet14000 vessels pass every yearAverage of 8 to 10 hour journey Travel time from NYC to San Francisco 6000 miles compared to 14000 taking route around Cape HornTolls based on tonnage of the vesselKey Figures in the Construction William C. Gorgas- Surgeon General U.S. Army 1914-1918 Sent to Panama in 1904 to eradicate yellow fever/ malaria from the Canal Zone.John F. Stevens- Chief engineer from 1905-1907, Responsible for initial work on the Culebra Cut and deciding to build a lock type canal.Gen. George Washington Goethals. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ,Assigned completion of canal in 1907 by Pres. Roosevelt.

Culebra CutManmade valley that cuts through continental divideLine that divides the flow of water between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans-East to West The Cut forms part of the Panama Canal linking Lake Gatun and the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Panama and Pacific OceanIt is 4.8 miles from Pedro Locks on the Pacific side of the Chagres River (water levels of 85 feet above sea level)

Layout of CanalConsists of artificial lakes (Miraflores, Gatun)and channels and three sets of locksAdditional artificial lake, Alajuela Lake, acts as a reservoir for the canalChagres River is dammed by the Gatun Dam and forms Gatun Lake-it drains northwest into the Caribbean Sea

Gatun DamConstructed 1907-1913Impounds Gatun Lake Hydro-electric generating station generates electricity Electricity used to operate the locks and other equipment in the canal

How Locks Work/DesignThree sets of the two lane Canal work as water elevators to lift the ships to the level of the Gatun Lake Set of lanes can accommodate traffic on opposite or same directionNo pumps used to lift the ships, the work is done by a force of gravityLater lower the ships back to sea level on the other side of the Isthmus of Panama Electric locomotive on the side provides complete control of movement of vesselsAll operations accomplished from a control house built on the center wall of the upper lock chamber.Single person can run every operation in the passage of the ship except for the towing

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Know details about the canalhttp://www.pancanal.com/eng/multimedia/index.htmlMuralsLocated in the rotunda of the Panama Canal Administration BuildingPainted by New Yorker William B. Van IngenAlso painted murals in U.S. Library of Congress and Philadelphia Mint.Depict the labor involved in the building of the Canal through four scenes.Culebra Cut Excavation

Construction of Miraflores Locks

Gatun Dam Spillway Construction

Canal Lock Gate Under Construction

Story of the Bridges

When the Panama Canal was completed in 1914, it divided the country of Panama as well as North and South America except for a small service bridge at the Gatun Locks. In 1942, a small service swing bridge was built at the Miraflores Locks. Both of these bridges were quite small and can only be used when the locks gates are closed. Therefore as traffic increased, the small service bridges and ferries could not handle the volume of traffic.

29Finally in 1959, the United States started construction on the Bridge of the Americas and completed the bridge in 1962.When opened, the bridge was an important part of the Pan-American Highway, and carried around 9,500 vehicles per day; however, this expanded over time, and by 2004 the bridge was carrying 35,000 vehicles per day. The bridge therefore became a significant bottleneck on the highway, which led to the construction of the Centennial Bridge, which now carries the Pan-American Highway too.

30Bridge of the AmericasPuente de Las Amricas (In Spanish).The Bridge of the Americas is approximately 354 ft. high and 5,400 ft. long, and connects the land that was divided during the construction of the Panama Canal(as well as north and south America). The Bridge of the Americas crosses the Pacific approach to the Panama Canal at Balboa, near Panama City and serves as an important part of the Inter-American Highway.

32-Originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge, is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. -Completed in 1962, costing $20 million, it was the only non-swinging bridge (there are two other bridges, one at the Miraflores locks and one at the Gatun locks)

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Centennial Bridge

Centennial Bridge(Spanish: Puente Centenario) A major bridge crossing the Panama Canal. It was built to supplement the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas, and to replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway; upon its opening in 2004, it became only the second permanent crossing of the canal.36 The bridge is cable-stayed ,meaning its a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge, the cables are made nearly parallel by attaching cables to various points on the tower.

Its designed with a total span of 1,052m (3,451 ft). The main span is 320m (1,050 ft), and clears the canal by 80m (262 ft), allowing large vessels to pass below it. The bridge is supported by two towers, each 184m (604 ft) high. The deck carries six lanes of traffic across the canal.

The bridge is designed to withstand the earthquake. The West Tower of the bridge was built ca. 50m inland to allow space for the future widening of the Panama Canal.

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Expansion effortsPanamanian President Martn Torrijos presented the plan on April 24, 2006. Saying that The project will double the canal's capacity and allow more trafficPanamanian citizens approved it in a national referendum by 76.8% of the vote on October 22, 2006.

39The first phase of the expansion project is the dry excavations of the 218 meter (715 ft) wide trench connecting the Culebra Cut with the Pacific coast, removing 47 million cubic meters of earth and rock.The project will create a new lane of traffic along the Canal by constructing a new set of locks. Details of the project include the following integrated components:Construction of two lock complexesone on the Atlantic side and another on the Pacific sideeach with three chambers, which include three water-saving basins; Excavation of new access channels to the new locks and the widening of existing navigational channels; and, Deepening of the navigation channels and the elevation of Gatun Lakes maximum operating level.

Expansion Construction Photos

Objectives of the expansion(1) achieve long-term sustainability and growth for the Canals contributions to Panamanian society through the payments it makes to the National Treasury (2)maintain the Canals competitiveness as well as the value added by Panamas maritime route to the national economy. (3) increase the Canals capacity to capture the growing tonnage demand with the appropriate levels of service for each market segment.(4) make the Canal more productive, safe and efficient.42Estimated time/costThe construction of the third set of locks project will take between seven to eight years. The new locks could begin operations between fiscal years 2014 and 2015.The construction cost of the third set of locks is estimated at approximately $5,250 million.($5.2 Billion)

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44Virtual Video of Expansionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9T3_ohQwocLive Camerashttp://www.pancanal.com/eng/multimedia/indexWater Preservation EffortsGatun Lake loses a total of 52 million gallons of fresh water to the Ocean each time a ship transits the canal.During dry season the lake does not have enough water so it is a problem.United Nations Global Compact and a member of World Business Counsel of Sustainable Development , developed a sustainable program which will protect aquatic and terrestrial resources of the Canal Watershed.A set of new locks will diminish water loss and will reuse 60 percent of the water in each transit.

Final Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGMBUzFyVl4&feature=relatedWorks Cited American Society of Civil Engineers. N.p.. n.d. web. 24 Nov. 2009. Bridge of the Americas.Virtualpanama.com.N.p.n.d.web.24 Nov.2009Centennial Bridge,Panama.absoluteastronomy.com.N.p.n.d.web. 24 Nov. 2009Dunnell, Tony, The Conceptual History of the Panama Canal suite101.com. 23 Sept. 2009.web.24 Nov. 2009John F. Big Smoke Stevens. Calisota Online.web.1 Nov. 2009Panama Canal Authority. N. p.. n. d..web. 01 Nov. 2009Panama Canal Expansion canalmuseum.com.N.P..n.d.web.1 Dec. 2009Panama Canal Zone Totally Explained. N. p..n. d.. Web. 1 Nov. 2009Small Planet Communications.The Panama Canal.N. p. n.d.. Web. 1 Nov. 2009Winner, Don, The Panama Canal Administration Building- Putting Things into Historical Perspective 11 Aug. 2006. Panama-Guide.com. Web. 1 Nov. 2009

Works CitedAnimaniacs-The Panama Canal.17 June 2007.YouTube.web.29 Nov. 2009Building the U.S. Panama Canal Zone 1904 2 March 2008.YouTube.web.25 Nov. 2009Know details about the canal.pancanal.web. 24 Nov. 2009Panama Canal Expansion-Lock Concepts.1 March 2008.YouTube.web. 24 Nov. 2009