Completed in 1914, the project was the most ambitious undertaking by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in its time. Today, the $5.25 billion upgrade is in the works.
The Panama Canal is a 51-mile shortcut that connects the Atlantic and Pacific at the Isthmus of Panama. Without it, the logistics of global trade would be vastly different on all fronts as cargo ships and container vessels have to make their ways around South America, wasting both time and fuels.
The existing infrastructure has two sets of locks that allow "Panamax" ships (106' x 965') to pass through. Due for completion in 2014, the expansion will neither truncate the time nor distance for ships that travel in either direction, but it will increase the number of daily passages from 35 to 50 ships and establish a "New Panamax" that is 50% wider and 25% longer, doubling the amount of cargo capacity.
"The expansion is being financed with loans from development banks to be repaid through tolls that currently reach several hundred thousand dollars for large ships. The project is huge by Panama's standards; among other things, the country's largest rock-crushing plant has sprung up, almost overnight, to turn the mountain of excavated rubble into sand and stone for the concrete," writes Henry Fountain of The New York Times.
Read the full story: Panama Adding a Wider Shortcut for Shipping
Baltimore Traffic Suffering From Absence of Key Bridge
The loss of a key route to the Port of Baltimore is causing major delays and long detours on alternate routes.
Urban Planning in Lima, Peru
For some people, ‘urban planning’ and ‘Lima’ do not go together. In fact, the Peruvian capital effectively highlights various facets of the urban planning world.
Port of Long Beach Begins Massive Rail Yard Expansion
The project, which will break ground this summer, is expected to dramatically curb emissions from trucking.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello