Chinese company won the tender to design a new bridge to the Panama Canal

The Chinese infrastructure giant, the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), was awarded a contract to design a third bridge over the Panama Canal, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said Friday.

The ACP said in a statement that the Chinese company has presented the lowest budget worth 4.662 million U.S. dollars and won the bid over five other competing companies.

The bid was presented in partnership with engineering consultancy firm Louis Berger Group, the ACP said.

Other competing companies included a 4.9 million dollar bid from the TYPSA Principia group, a 6.1 million dollar bid submitted by URS Holdings, a 7.2 million dollar bid from the Puente de Colon JV company, a 8.5 million dollar bid from the group ARUP and a 9.6 million dollar bid from Ty Lin International.p The ACP has specified that the new bridge must be braced with ties, built at 75 meters above sea level with a full length of five kilometers including access roads to the bridge.

Currently, the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge -- both on the Pacific side -- provide the only routes for vehicles to cross the Canal. This new bridge, the first-ever on the Atlantic side of the waterway, will double trans-canal traffic capacity once completed in 2014.

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