Panama held a national referendum on whether to expand the Panama Canal by building a third set of locks. Voters approved the proposal by about 78%, giving the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) a public mandate to begin the major expansion program.
Panama marked a major start of on-the-ground work with a groundbreaking tied to the first large dry excavation on the Pacific side. This helped move the expansion from planning into heavy construction, including new channels and lock approaches.
After early contracts and preparatory work, ACP moved toward its biggest procurement: the design-and-build contract for the new lock complexes. Qualifying international consortia was a key step to ensure bidders had the technical and financial capacity for a high-risk, mega-project.
ACP awarded the contract for building the third set of locks to the consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC). This award set the project’s central construction work in motion and tied delivery schedules, performance standards, and dispute processes to a single prime contractor group.
ACP announced completion of a major phase of excavation for the Pacific access channel. Finishing this excavation was important because new, larger ships would need deeper and wider approaches to safely reach the new locks.
ACP reported that the expansion had fallen about six months behind its prior schedule, pushing target dates later. The announcement highlighted how labor actions and technical issues—such as meeting strict concrete performance requirements—could ripple into major timeline changes.
ACP reported completion of the first “monolith” at the new Pacific locks—one of many massive reinforced concrete sections that form the lock walls and water conduits. This milestone showed that complex structural work for the new lock chambers was advancing beyond excavation into permanent construction.
A major dispute over cost overruns escalated between ACP and GUPC, including threats to halt work. The conflict raised the risk of long delays, and it also showed how contract claims and financing can become as critical as engineering on large infrastructure projects.
ACP and GUPC reached an agreement framework to keep construction moving, including financing steps and a revised completion target around late 2015. This deal reduced the immediate risk of prolonged shutdown while leaving longer-term legal disputes to arbitration and other processes.
ACP began filling the new Atlantic-side locks with water, starting a careful phase of operational testing and quality checks. Flooding the chambers was a transition from “building structures” to “proving systems,” including gate movement, valves, and automated controls.
During late-stage testing, a crack and water seepage were reported in a concrete area at the new Cocolí Locks on the Pacific side. The issue drew attention because the locks were designed for long-term durability, and repairs had to be managed without undermining the planned opening.
A major testing milestone was reached when a ship made a successful test run through the new locks, guided by tugboats. These trials helped confirm that the locks’ mechanical systems and operating procedures could handle real vessels safely before commercial launch.
Panama officially opened the expanded canal, and the container ship Cosco Shipping Panama made the first ceremonial transit through the new locks. The opening marked the practical completion of the Third Locks Project, creating a new “lane” that could handle much larger Neo-Panamax ships than the original locks.
Panama Canal Expansion: The Third Locks Project and 2016 Opening (2007–2016)