Jump to content

Prequalification of Contractors for the Fourth Bridge Over Canal


Bud

Recommended Posts

On 1/22/2016 at 10:27 AM, Brundageba said:

Helpful if they really know how to mix and pour cement better than the canal-expansion group did.

IMG_1241.jpg

Big infraestructure projects are offered in Panama to foreign contractors because of the size, complexity, technical requirements and financial capability.   This project was awarded to a group formed by a contractor from Spain, a contractor from Italy and a contractor from Europe.  It was supposed that those people have better experience and expertise in this type of jobs than our panamanians contractors can do.  

 

Regarding this cracks and according to some comments from civil engineers and my own experience resembles what it is called"  "cold joints".   It is a separation between different concrete pours because the new concrete does not adhere well to the old concrete.  As you can see the crack is in the same horizontal plane that makes us to think it is the pouring line of each batch of concrete.  If that is the real cause it could be repaired but it will depend on the method and products to do the repair.  

We are still waiting for the diagnosis of the cause of the cracks in order to see if the solution of the problem will be the most effective and will have the durabilty desired and will perform as required.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Brundageba said:

The situation is hard to believe happened.  Seems like there should have been oversight engineers watching .  Engineers not affiliated with the company (s) with the contract.

This is something people in Panama is asking.  Where was the engineering company that was hired to do the inspection.  It is an american engineering company named C2HM.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Roger B said:

Big infraestructure projects are offered in Panama to foreign contractors because of the size, complexity, technical requirements and financial capability.   This project was awarded to a group formed by a contractor from Spain, a contractor from Italy and a contractor from Europe.  It was supposed that those people have better experience and expertise in this type of jobs than our panamanians contractors can do.  

 

Regarding this cracks and according to some comments from civil engineers and my own experience resembles what it is called"  "cold joints".   It is a separation between different concrete pours because the new concrete does not adhere well to the old concrete.  As you can see the crack is in the same horizontal plane that makes us to think it is the pouring line of each batch of concrete.  If that is the real cause it could be repaired but it will depend on the method and products to do the repair.  

We are still waiting for the diagnosis of the cause of the cracks in order to see if the solution of the problem will be the most effective and will have the durabilty desired and will perform as required.

 

 

 

We see cold joints all the time here in residential and commercial construction in columns and lintels because of limitations imposed by the length of the boards used for forming. 

Slabs often end up with cold joints due to: a/ out of materials, or b/ quitting time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Roger B said:

This is something people in Panama is asking.  Where was the engineering company that was hired to do the inspection.  It is an american engineering company named C2HM.  

As of December 2013, CH2M Hill had approximately 26,000 employees and 2013 revenues totaled $5.88 billion.[3] The firm is employee-owned,[1] with an internal stock market that operates buy/sell events quarterly. CH2M Hill announced a global rebrand on 13 April 2015, adopting the nickname ch2m while retaining CH2M HILL Companies Ltd. as the firm's legal name.[4]

I got this of of Wikipedia.  Colorado company.  Big company..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Redesign of fourth bridge 90% complete - Minister

bridge.jpg

Posted 05/01/2022

The redesign of the fourth bridge is 90% complete and that details of the final cost of the and its financing would be given in the coming days says  The Minister of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge .

The plan of the past administration to finance the $1.5 billion project was to obtain about $600 million through a loan that would be financed with the collection of tolls.

The original idea was that the MOP, once the construction of the bridge was completed, would hand over the infrastructure to the National Highway Company (ENA), which would manage the road through a new company called ENA Oeste.

Sabonge said that the plan is to start with the construction of the cable-stayed bridge this year, The Panama Fourth  Bridge consortium. is made up of the companies China Communications Construction Company LTD and China Harbor Engineering Company LTD.

Sabonge said that the final amount of the project and the construction term have yet to be defined with the contractor. He added that they already have the approval of the General Directorate of Public Procurement to make changes to the contract in order to include financing.

Engineers have warned a lag of at least 3 or 4 years between the commissioning of the fourth bridge and the expansion to 8 lanes of the highway to Arraiján, which would create a bottleneck at the entrance and exit of the Bridge of the Americas.

In February 2021, the Chinese consortium presented a financing proposal that would allow the construction of the project to continue.

The Panama Canal Authority collaborated with the MOP in the review of the redesign of the fourth bridge, a work that will maintain three lanes in each direction.

The original concept included ramps, accesses, and a new road, which together amounted to more than 40 kilometers of construction with 24 bridges. By separating line 3 of the metro from the fourth bridge, a percentage of this new road will not be built, changes that will be reflected in the new design.

Sabonge said that the ACP appointed two engineers with experience in this type of works to review the redesign of the structure.

He explained that within the ministry they are forming a team to supervise the work, and announced that they are preparing a tender to hire the external technical advisor who will be in charge of verifying that the contractor complies with the provisions of the redesigns.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/redesign-of-fourth-bridge-90-complete-minister

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...