AP: Voters Approve Panama Canal Expansion

[Eugene]

Voters Approve Panama Canal Expansion

By WILL WEISSERT

PANAMA CITY, Panama Oct 22, 2006 (AP)— Voters overwhelmingly approved
the largest modernization plan in the 92-year history of the Panama Canal
on Sunday, backing a multi-billion dollar expansion that will allow the
world's largest ships to squeeze through the shortcut between the seas.

About 79 percent of Panamanians voted in favor the expansion with 42 percent
of 4,416 polling stations reporting, according to preliminary results released
by the country's electoral tribunal. Nearly 21 percent opposed the plan.
There were not enough ballots remaining to be counted reverse the trend.

Early returns pointed to a dismally low turnout with nearly 60 percent
of the country's more than 2.1 million voters abstaining.

Thousands of supporters in green "Yes" T-shirts cast ballots endorsing the
$5.25 billion overhaul which would allow the canal to handle modern container
ships, cruise liners and tankers that are too large for its current 108-foot-wide
ocks. The plan is to build a third set of locks on the Pacific and Atlantic ends
by 2015.

-snip-

Full article: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2597865

[itsrobert]

1. Don't they know

with Global Warming the Polar Ice will melt providing new fasting shipping lanes. Also as the ice melts the oceans will rise providing more waterways over land.

[kysrsoze]

2. Actually, that won't work. It'll just bring the sea level outside

the locks up closer to the height inside the locks. The problem is that the canal is not deep enough to support the new super ships. I went to Panama this spring and we took a tour of the locks, where they explained the situation. However, if they dig deep enough they may be able to more or less completely remove the locks. Not sure if this is now the plan.