Monitoring the Progress of Panama’s Subway

If you have been a regular follower of my blog, you probably know that President Ricardo Martinelli and his staff are getting up to speed to finish the huge public work of the Panama subway during the second half of 2013 or early 2014, shortly before his term is over. It would be the first subway in Panama and Central America.

The 13.7 kilometers subway line, which will have 17 stations, will replace some bus routes that have been in operation in the city for more than 40 years.  The subway line will connect downtown Panama City with suburbs in the north of the city.  Two more branches are in the pipeline to connect Panama City with suburbs east and west of the metropolis.  These two projects will be completed by future administrations.

A total of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars will be invested in the subway Line 1 in Panama City.  This first transit line is planned for completion in 2014 and will travel 14 kilometers through the high traffic areas of the city.  There will be 17 metro stops both above ground and below ground and there will be an aiding metro bus system throughout the city.

This enormous project will drastically change the transportation culture of Panama City.  Major traffic disruption throughout the busy areas of Panama City will occur during the construction process but in the hopes for a better future of Panama’s transportation.

Below are several pictures shot on the morning of Sunday, March 3, 2013.  A huge red rectangle at the construction site captured my attention.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a complex structure used to support the huge columns of concrete while they are still wet. This construction site is situated at the intersection of Via Transístmica and Via Ricardo J. Alfaro in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

This overpass leads to the International Tocumen Airport. It is one of the busiest transit areas of Panama City connecting the metropolis to the north in the Special District of San Miguelito. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

If you are interested in construction sites, tomorrow I will continue inserting more pictures of this important public project which is the flagship of Ricardo Martinelli’s administration.  Stay tuned and Good Day.

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“The Dirt is Flying” in Panama Subway Construction Project

For several decades Panama has maintained a high level of construction projects, both public and private.  Panama City is now one of the most modern cities in Central America with a beautiful skyline similar to Miami in the United States. Currently two megaprojects are underway, (e.g., the expansion of the Panama Canal and the construction of the first phase of a subway system).  Both public works are planned to be completed by the year 2014; just in time for the celebration of the centennial of the Panama Canal.

If you have recently traveled to Panama City, you have certainly noticed the construction frenzy.  Everywhere you go within the perimeter of the city, thousands of construction workers are working like honey bees.  There is a construction boom going on, the largest in magnitude since the foundation of the nation.  Sometimes I feel like a tourist in my own town.  There are new housing projects in Chorrera and Arraijan I have never been before, and probably never will.

In order to capture history in progress, I went to the construction site of the subway system on the Transisthmian Highway.  I want to compare this site with the same site after the subway is finished.  The comparison will be dramatic.  This is a project that will greatly improve our mass transportation in the metropolitan area.  I’m very proud of how our country is modernizing its infrastructure.

Snapshot of the construction of the Panama subway which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year 2014. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The Panama subway will consist of three main branches. The first one will connect Los Andes with Albrook Bus Terminal (Northern Branch). The second one, will connect Chepo (Eastern Branch) with the same terminal. The third and last branch, will connect the cities of Chorrera and Arraiján (Western Branch) to Panama City. These three projects will take about fifteen years to be completed. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the construction of the Northern Branch of the Panama Subway to be completed by the end of 2014. The public construction project is in full swing even as we speak. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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