Panama Canal: Bridge of the Americas, Balboa, Panama

Bridge of the Americas

Panama Canal

Balboa, Panama

N 08° 56.580 W 079° 33.879

Short Description: 

The Bridge of the Americas spans the southeast end of the Panama Canal at the Pacific Ocean.
Location: Panama

North Side

South Side

Long Description:

The Bridge of the Americas spans the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal at Balboa, Panama. This steel arch bridge was was designed by Sverdrup and Parcel, cost $20,000,000, construction began on October 12, 1959, and the bridge opened on October 12, 1962. The bridge is 5,425' long. The center span is a tied arch which is 850' long and 384' high. The bridge is fixed and ships must pass under it. It has a clearance of 201' above mean sea level.

Originally, the bridge was named the Thatcher Ferry Bridge because the Thatcher Ferry, named after a former member of the canal commission, Maurice H. Thatcher, operated at this location. Before its inaugural opening, the government of Panama passed a resolution naming the structure the Bridge of the Americas. The renaming became official when Panama took control of the Canal Zone from the United States in 1979.

The airmail stamp was issued by Panama on October 12, 1962 to commemorate the opening of the Bridge of the Americas.

Panama City