Panama Investor Blog

500 Years Later: Urban Chaos and Disorder

It looks like the powers that be are starting to take things a little more serious regarding the unbounded construction going on in the city. They are showing real concern about the infrastructure and degredation of the quality of life.

Panama, Wednesday 21 of March of 2007

500 Years Later: Urban Chaos and Disorder

LA PRENSA/Eric Batista

Pedro Arias Dávila never thought that 488 years after founded the city of Panama (1519), what prevails is the urban disorder of the construction and the chaos in the public transit, evey year leaves losses in the economy considered in 500 million dollars. In the context of the 500 years of the foundation of Panama city in 2019, the capital Municipality inaugurated yesterday the forum Panama 500, it looks to identify the city-planning problems of the city, to propose solutions and to identify the developed areas and to develop.

"In this debate we are going to decide the future of the city that we want for the country", said, mayor Juan Carlos Navarro. But while the organization is prepared and the solutions are found, the inadequate construction planning of the metro area, citizens and social groups are united to assume a more proactive roll in the decisions that are taken.

News on the road between Volcan and Boquete

I am often asked about the proposed road between Boquete and Volcan and I usually come out rather pessimistic about it. The main reason is because it is very costly to build due to the number of bridges (7) required. I have flown this area a number of times by helicopter and the canyons are wide and deep. The question I always ask is "why do we need this road?" Volcan has vegetables and so does Boquete. We both grow coffee. They have mountains and streams and so do we. It is only  a 1 1/2 hour drive from here to there and a new road might shave 30 minutes off the travel time. Why spend all this money on a road to nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I always want money wasted here rather than somewhere else and it will be great on my Harley to have another smooth new road to cruise. Here is a press release about the road that came out today.

Panama, Wednesday 14 of March of 2007

South Route in Chiriquí will be built

The order to go ahead and start the construction of the first stage of the South Route, that will communicate the communities of Boquete with Palmira Abajo with an investment of 3,2 million dollars, will be given tomorrow, announced the Public Work minister, Bejamin Colamarco. This work eliminates the controversial ecological way that it tried to built the former administration of president Mireya Moscoso

More from BNAmericas

anama's government was set Thursday (Mar 15) to greenlight the first phase of a 20mn-balboa (US$20mn) project to build a 35km highway in western province Chiriquí, the public works ministry (MOP) announced in a statement.

 

 

First phase works - to rehabilitate two areas of an 8km section of the highway between the Boquete and Palmira municipalities - will be carried out by local contractor Bagatrac, at a cost of 3.3mn balboas.

 

The entire works will extend from Boquete southwards to Bugaba, near the country's western border with Costa Rica.

 

Works will include repaving the existing highway and building three bridges, crossing the El Emporio and Eliot gullies, and the Colga river.

 

Construction will not take place on a highway linking Boquete with Cerro Punta, know as the Camino Ecologico, due to controversy stemming from its effect on biodiversity at the Barú national park, the statement announced.

 

The highway is slated to become operative in 2008, BNamericas reported previously.

 

Fire safety in new towers a concern

Local press has an article regarding recommendations put forth by the fire department in Panama City being opposed by many of the developers. Of course it is about money because these regulations were not required when the developers  pre-sold their buildings at a price that did not take this into consideration.

Panama, Saturday 10 of March of 2007

Failure to create safety regulation by the fire department-bomberos request that the towers most be self-sufficient possible to be able to put away fires. All the towers would have to count on sprayers, smoke detectors and special elevators.

LA PRENSA

The investment considered for the construction of high rise in the capital city in next the five years could reach 10 billion dollars, according to the presidency.

The representatives of the developers of the new constructions, endorsed by president Martín Torrijos, stop attended the work meetings to elaborate a safety regulation for the high buildings five months ago. "We had the disposition and gave our point of view on the regulation, and were waiting for the one of them", expressed colonel Mario Ramirez, commander first head of the Body of Firemen of Panama.

Panama infrastructure list

The amount of projects being announced in Panama is staggering and getting more difficult to keep up with each day. I stumbled on a great site by  Business News Americas that allows you to search for announcements and press releases for various sectors within a country. I put in a search for infrastructure, Panama in last three months and got 40 returns. Check them out. Most articles require a subscription but you can read the headlines for free.

First Transístmica bus route may come online by end-2008 Infra 01/Mar/07 - Panama

Canal yoy tonnage up 12% for fiscal 1Q07 Infra 01/Mar/07 - Panama

Investments of US$1.5bn to double int'l port capacity Infra 27/Feb/07 - Panama

Argos profits down despite solid year Infra 22/Feb/07 - Colombia

Arraijan-La Chorrera hwy expansions slated for completion year-end Infra 20/Feb/07 - Panama

Paradise without water?

Well, it is about time the locals started marching in the streets for the mayor of Boquete to do something about the water distribution problems here. Every dry season many homes in the area go without water due to the poor distribution systems in place. Boquete has abundant water supplies but a poor system and management coupled with increased demand has made the problem more acute each year. Even in Valle Escondido where we have abundant water supplies, we have to manage it because everyone wants to water their lawns everyday. Even 150,000 gallons a day for our project gets used up if not managed properly.  The local mayor is catching heat because the state has offered to build a system and manage it but the mayor does not want to let go of the revenue from the water which would then flow to the state. The locals really don't care how they get the water, just that they get it even if it costs a bit more. Maybe if the mayor went without water for a few days he would change his mind.

Panama, Tuesday 27 of February of 2007

CHIRIQUÍ.

POPULATION GROWTH EXCEEDS CAPACITY OF LOCAL AQUEDUCT.

Boquete, the paradise without water in the district, the houses are connected to the aqueduct by pipes of PVC that are uncover. The mayor said that he will not give up the administration of the aqueduct to the authorities of IDAAN.

SPECIAL FOR LA PRENSA/B. Gomez

The district of Boquete, that is considered one of the sites more appropiate to retire and that welcome more than 500 foreign families, live their first crisis. It grew so fast in population that today there is not enough water, for that reason yesterday, the panamanian residents and the foreigners protested and demanded answers from mayor Manuel Ruiz, because the aqueducts are part of the municipality.

The French are back after nearly 130 years!

This article about the French delegation looking to invest in the canal expansion brings to mind what happend over 100 years ago when they first came to these sunny shores to dig the canal. Unfortunately for the French, the canal was a major financial failure. The French labored 20 years, beginning in 1880, but disease and financial problems defeated them. The effort lost over 20,000 men and cost over $287,000,000 or 1,435,000,000 francs. The French company was the greatest business failure of the 19th century.  Maybe this time it will be different!

La Prensa
Panama, Thursday 8 of February of 2007
France reiterates interest to invest in Panama, minister Lagarde concluded yesterday during a tour to the Canal to know more about the expansion project.
Vice President, Lewis Navarro presented the advances that have occurred in Panama in diferent sectors. France is interested in participating in the projects that are projected in Panama, including the expansion of the Canal, and it will support the Gallic companies that invest in this country, said the French minister of Foreign trade, Christine Lagarde. Minister Lagarde, who arrived Tuesday, coming from Brazil, heads a French economic delegation, among them 30 industralists, who have come to learn about the investment projects which will occur around the expansion of the Canal and in other sectors.
"We come with desire to discover a market, although also with the desire to work and to collaborate. The presence of the French government is a testimony of this and I am here for expressing the support from the government to the French companies ", emphasized. "We would like the oportunity to participate in these projects because, beside our historical bonds of friendship, for a long time Panama has been of interests to us", within the framework honored the minister of a round table in which the Panamanian government presented kindness and benefits to invest in the country. The Panamanian governmental representatives were headed by the first vice-president and minister of Foreign Relations, Samuel Lewis Navarro, and by the minister of Commerce and Industry, Alexander Ferrer. Lagarde was emphatic when indicating that "we are not here for imposing solutions but to try to understand well the needs of the panamanain people.

Japan finances the clean-up of the Bay of Panama

In my humble opinion, this is one of the most important infrastructure projects that can be done in Panama. Nothing will turn buyers away from these deluxe condo's on the bay faster than the smell of the bay. And at a cost of about one of the high rise buildings it is cheap at twice the price!
This short announcement from todays La Prensa.

Panama, Wednesday 7 of February of 200
Cleaning of the bay follows ahead
An agreement to begin this year the second phase of the cleaning of the city and the bay of Panama signed the governments of Panama and Japan through the Ministry of Health and the Bank of Cooperation the International of Japan (JBIC). These works contemplate construction of system of transport or interceptor, which it will allow to gather and to transfer the waters that at the moment spill to the bay from Casco Antiguo to Juan Diaz, and a treatment plant where the residual waters will be cleaned to 70%. The financing for this second stage ascends to $166,9 million.

The end of Panama's traffic problems?

A news release in LA Critica this week says that 60 million dollars will be spent on new overpasses and other road infrastructure to ease the cities growing pains with traffic. This certainly is welcome news, but with all this additional construction, I wonder how will anything move at all in the city.

More than 60 million to end the traffic jams
Panama city will solve traffic congestions with the construction of nine overpasses in the critical  areas, during next the two years, informed the minister of Public Works, Colamarco Benjamin.
According to the Minister, in the execution of these projects of road modernization, that will change the face of the Panamanian capital by 2009, they will invest more than 60 million dollars. The first overpass will rise in the Israel route with via Brazil and the one of via Brazil with 50 st, that will join with the passage between via Brazil with the Paical. (La Critica)

$500 million in new infrastructure slated for 1st Q 2007

I had heard the President reads my blogs so maybe this is why he has authorized such a large expenditure for infrastructure in the city. In any case this is great news even though there are many who don't believe it is nearly enough.

$105M: expansion at four lanes Boyd-Roosvelt road
$60M: expansion at four lanes Panamerian highway-Arraijan (at the right hand)-Chorrera and also included 24 de diciembre to Pacora
$100M: expansion of the Corridor Sur from Punta Pacifica to the Bridge of the Americas
$31M: new East Panama regional hospital
$176M: Panama-Colon highway - 40km

English and Spanish from La Prensa follows.

Panama City infrastructure council proposed

This small, but important announcement was in the local press this week. Maybe my developer friends are wising up to the acute infrastructure issue they will soon be facing.

Panamá, jueves 28 de diciembre de 2006

Impulsan consejo de infraestructura

CALLES. Para permitir el desarrollo de las infraestructuras necesarias para mantener el crecimiento sostenido de las ciudades, el sector privado propuso al Gobierno Nacional la creación del Consejo Nacional de Infraestructura. La solicitud fue promovida por la Cámara Panameña de la Construcción.

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Panama, Thursday 28 of December of 2006
To Promote Infrastructure Council
In order to allow the development of infrastructures necessary to maintain the sustaniable growth of the cities, the private sector proposed  the National Government the creation of the National Infrastructure Council. The request was promoted by the Panamanian Chamber of the Construction.