A New Panama Canal?

by George A. Makela, Consultant; Albert H. Halff Assoc., Inc., Dallas, Tex.,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1983, Vol. 53, Issue 4, Pg. 58-61


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

The Panama Canal is expected to be obsolete by the end of the century. Already there are serious problems with ship traffic through the Canal: volume of traffic is down, average transit time is up, and many ships that would like to use the Canal are too large to make the passage. Both the U. S. and Japan, two direct recipients of the trade benefits of a serviceable canal, have expressed interest in the possible construction of a new sea-level canal in Panama built to accommodate modern ships. This article reviews the history of ship traffic in the Canal, describes the present difficulties, and explores the possibilities of either building a new canal or widening and improving the existing one.

Subject Headings: Canals | Ships | Water transportation | Traffic volume | Civil engineering landmarks | Travel time | Sea level | Panama | Central America

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