---
title: "Panama Advances Safety Review of Bridge of the Americas After Fire Damage"
date: 2026-04-11
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/bridge-of-the-americas-inspection-fire-3/
categories:
  - "Business"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Bridge of the Americas"
  - "José Raúl Mulino"
  - "La Boca"
  - "MOP"
  - "Panama Canal"
  - "structural inspection"
---

# Panama Advances Safety Review of Bridge of the Americas After Fire Damage

## What Happened

Technical teams from Panama’s Ministry of Public Works continued structural inspections of the Bridge of the Americas on Saturday, working alongside engineers from the United States Army Corps of Engineers as part of a safety review of the iconic crossing.

The joint evaluation focused on critical parts of the structure, including columns, especially pillar 10, steel beams, the superstructure, and the underside of the deck. The inspection comes after the fire on Monday, April 6, in the La Boca sector, where three fuel tankers exploded and sent a large fireball toward the lower part of the bridge.

## How the Inspection Is Progressing

According to the Ministry of Public Works, the assessment continued through the morning and part of midday on Saturday as national and international technical teams examined the bridge in detail. The U.S. specialists have been supporting Panamanian engineers in the field to determine whether the structure maintained its integrity after the incident.

The visiting team includes two structural engineers and two technical support personnel. They arrived in Panama on Thursday and are expected to remain in the country until Tuesday. Personnel from the U.S. Embassy have also been present at the inspection site.

## Why the Bridge Matters

The Bridge of the Americas is one of Panama’s most important crossings because it spans the route used by ships entering and leaving the Panama Canal on the Pacific side. Any structural concern at the bridge carries wider implications for traffic, logistics, and the safe movement of vessels near the canal corridor.

Edwin Lewis, director of Studies and Designs at the Ministry of Public Works, said the inspections are being used to define short-, medium-, and long-term measures. He said the evaluations are intended to determine the actions needed to guarantee the bridge’s safety.

## Next Steps

Lewis said an official report with preliminary findings will be delivered on Monday, April 13, to the Ministry of Public Works and to President José Raúl Mulino. Those findings will guide the government’s response as engineers continue reviewing the bridge’s condition after the fire damage.

The inspection marks a key phase in Panama’s effort to assess one of its most recognizable pieces of infrastructure and to ensure the safety of a route that connects traffic on land with one of the most sensitive navigation corridors in the country.