In response to the growth of motorised transport in the twentieth century, and the efforts to inaugurate a Trans-American Highway, various stop-gap measures were introduced by the US Canal authority. The first semi-permanent link capable of carrying vehicles was a ferry link provided by the Panama Canal Mechanical Division. Two ferries, the Presidente Amador and Presidente Washington were built and entered service in August 1931, carrying passengers and vehicles across the canal. In August 1940, another similar service started, linking US military installations on either side of the canal. On June 3, 1942, the Miraflores swing bridge opened, but like the ferries, this did not provide a permanent link. In November 1942 another ferry, the Presidente Porras, was added in response to the increase in vehicular traffic.
The idea of a bridge spanning the Canal had been around almost as long as the canal itself, and in 1923, provision of a permanent bridge became official Panamanian government policy and was identified as a priority. However, it was not until the Remón-Eisenhower treaty between Panama and the US was signed in 1955, that the US finally made a commitment to build the bridge. The $20,000,000 contract was awarded to John F. Beasly & Company. The Thatcher Ferry Bridge opened on October 12th 1962 at a cost of US$20 million. The bridge crosses the Pacific approach to the Panama Canal at the port of Balboa, near Panama City. The bridge is 1,654m in length, with the main span being 344m long. At its highest point, it is 117 metres above sea level, and provides 61.3 metres of clearance over the canal (at high tide).
The Americans always officially called it the ‘Thatcher Ferry Bridge’, although unofficially, many (including a US Under-secretary of State in his speech during the opening ceremony) referred to it as the ‘Bridge of the Americas’. In Panama it has always been known as the Bridge of the Americas, a name that was made official in a National Assembly Resolution of October 2, 1962. The resolution reading: “The Bridge over the Panama Canal shall bear the name Bridge of the Americas. Said name will be used exclusively to identify said bridge.”
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