The Atlantic Bridge project, also called the Third Bridge Over the Canal, is being developed closed to the Atlantic Ocean entrance of the Panama Canal. This $600M project consists in construction of a 1-kilometer cable-stayed bridge, along with access viaducts on both sides and connections to the existing roads, as well as pedestrian and bicycle lanes. When archived, the bridge will allow vehicles to cross the Panama Canal even when the locks are in operation.

One of the World’s longest concrete cable-stayed bridge with Bartec

With its 530-meter central span and its vertical clearance of 75 meters above sea level allowing the passage of Post-Panamax ships, the four-lane Atlantic Bridge is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the World. It is also supported by two delta-shaped main pylons, reaching 212.5 meter height. Dextra Latin America, with its main office in Panama City, was involved in supplying its rebar splicing solution Bartec for the reinforcement of the bridge’s concrete structure.

More than 350,000 Bartec couplers were delivered to the contractor VINCI Construction Grands Projets for the reinforcement of the bridge’s pile cages, pile caps and pylons for up to #14 (dia. 43 mm.) bars. Plus, three Dextra Bartec machine sets have been used to support the bar-end preparation on site. Moreover, in order to avoid steel congestion in the heavily reinforced areas, more than 50,000 Dextra end anchors Headed Bars are used in the bridge’s pile caps.

The Atlantic bridge is now in its final construction stage, and is planned to open in early 2019.