{"id":11324,"date":"2026-02-12T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=11324"},"modified":"2026-02-11T15:55:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:55:33","slug":"bridge-opens-over-pacora-river-after-30-year-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/bridge-opens-over-pacora-river-after-30-year-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridge Opens Over Pacora River After 30 Year Wait"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new bridge opened Wednesday in the San Miguel community, finally connecting residents over the upper <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pacora_River\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pacora River<\/a> after more than three decades of requests. Panama&#8217;s Minister of Public Works, Jos\u00e9 Luis Andrade, led the inauguration ceremony in the San Mart\u00edn district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The structure is a 33-meter-long zarzo-type bridge, a design commonly used in rural areas. It features 25 metal railings and protective mesh to ensure safe passage for residents and local students. The Ministry of Public Works (Panama) constructed the project in recent months at an approximate cost of 115,000 balboas. <\/p> <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d126050.69508263964!2d-79.3613247340712!3d9.146866200532665!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x8e54b1fb635fbcd1%3A0x477c965ba139861d!2sPacora%20River!5e0!3m2!1sen!2spa!4v1770843283942!5m2!1sen!2spa\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These are small works in monetary terms, but giant in benefit for the communities. They bring progress and save lives. These zarzo and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bailey_bridge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bailey bridge<\/a> types are the ones I most enjoy inaugurating, seeing the happiness of the people,&#8221; said Minister Jos\u00e9 Luis Andrade. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For generations, crossing the river posed a severe challenge, particularly during Panama&#8217;s intense rainy season. Residents often waited hours for water levels to drop before attempting a dangerous crossing to reach homes, schools, or medical help.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1161\" height=\"774\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1.webp\" alt=\"bridge opening Pacora River 1\" class=\"wp-image-11323\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1.webp 1161w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-opening-pacora-river-1-1161x774-1-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1161px) 100vw, 1161px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ending Decades of Risk and Isolation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bridge directly addresses a critical safety issue. Community members described the Pacora as one of the country&#8217;s most dangerous rivers, claiming numerous lives over the years. The inability to cross during floods also exacerbated medical emergencies, accidents, and even snakebite incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One lifelong resident recounted the persistent struggle. &#8220;We grew up here and had to cross the deep river on horseback or wait for it to go down. My children did it, and my grandchildren did, the neighbors with their kids. Now with this bridge, the worries are over,&#8221; they said. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minister Andrade emphasized the project&#8217;s role in improving mobility and safety for rural communities. The new infrastructure is expected to provide reliable year-round access, eliminating the seasonal isolation that hampered daily life and economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mop.gob.pa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ministry of Public Works (Panama)<\/a> has focused on similar rural connectivity projects. This bridge forms part of a broader initiative to install zarzo and Bailey bridges in remote areas where traditional construction is less feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials consider the project a vital investment in community welfare. Its completion marks the end of a 30-year wait for San Miguel residents, transforming a longstanding natural barrier into a safe and permanent link. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"987\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1.webp\" alt=\"bridge pacora river\" class=\"wp-image-11325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1.webp 987w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bridge-pacora-river-987x658-1-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 987px) 100vw, 987px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">by mop.gob.pa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new bridge opened Wednesday in the San Miguel community, finally connecting residents over the upper Pacora River after more than three decades of requests. Panama&#8217;s Minister of Public Works, Jos\u00e9 Luis Andrade, led the inauguration ceremony in the San Mart\u00edn district. The structure is a 33-meter-long zarzo-type bridge, a design commonly used in rural<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,36,34],"tags":[2629,133,2630,50,55],"class_list":["post-11324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics-government","category-investments","category-living","tag-bridge-opens-over-pacora","tag-infrastructure","tag-pacora-river-bridge","tag-panama","tag-public-works"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11324"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11327,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11324\/revisions\/11327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}