Bridge of the Americas

Bridge of the Americas
Bridge of the Americas
Coordinates	8°56′35″N 79°33′54″W / 8.9431°N 79.565°W
Carries	Four lanes of Carretera Panama-Arraijan, pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal
Locale	Balboa, Panama
Official name	Puente de las Américas
Characteristics
Design	Steel through arch bridge; John F. Beasly & Company
Total length	1,654 m (5,425 ft)
Width	10.4 m (34 ft)
Longest span	344 m (1,128 ft)
Clearance below	61.3 m (201 ft) at high tide
History
Opened	October 12, 1962
Statistics
Daily traffic	35,000 (2004)
Location

The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 at a cost of US$20 million, connecting the north and south American land masses (hence its name), connecting the American Continent. Two other bridges cross the canal: the Atlantic Bridge at the Gatun locks and the Centennial Bridge.^[1]

^ Durkee, Jackson (1999-05-24). "World's Longest Bridge Spans" (PDF). National Steel Bridge Alliance. pp. 20, 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2002-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-21.

[NSBA-1] Durkee, Jackson (1999-05-24). "World's Longest Bridge Spans" (PDF). National Steel Bridge Alliance. pp. 20, 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2002-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-21.

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