Panama Canal crack won’t delay expansion opening, says contractor

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You have to admit, the photos that came out of Panama showing the cracks in its new lock walls with water pouring into the locks does not look good. From whichever perspective you take. The construction consortium GPUC said that the “localised seepage was the result of insufficient steel reinforcement in the area while subjected to stress from extreme condition testing” – although “extreme conditions” is what life tends to present to infrastructure from time to time. Nevertheless, the Panama Canal Authority, on advice from the GUPC, has said the cracks won’t delay the opening of the expansion, although given that the GUPC’s timetable has already slipped by an entire two years, is that really credible?