Home | China | World | Business Panamanian Govt to Build Second Canal Bridge TUE, FEB 19, 2002     The Panamanian government and the German company Bilfinger/Berger AG Monday signed a contract for the construction of a second bridge over the Panama Canal, near the Pacific Ocean coast. The document was signed by Panamanian Public Works Minister Victor Juliao and Bilfinger's representatives Hans Schwarzeweller and Alfred Zimmer. The document will have to be first approved by the National Economic Council (CENA), before being sent to the Cabinet Council and the Accountant's Office for ratification. Juliao said the bridge would be inaugurated prior to the end of the present administration of President Mireya Moscoso, whose five-year term in office began in 1999. Schwarzeweller said the German company would fulfill the contract and finish the construction of the bridge in time. The design of the bridge is attributed to T. Y. Lin International/The Louis Berger Group Inc. It will have six lanes. The idea is that it gives a different perspective to the canal with a hi-tech design. The existing bridge crosses the canal near the Pacific Ocean. Inaugurated in 1962, it is known as the Americas Bridge. Editor:Hope CCTV.com Recommend to your friend email:    China Central Television,All Rights Reserved