Canal Components
~Construction
The total construction cost of the Panama Canal was approximately $375 billion dollars. This amount includes the $10 million that the US paid to Panama as well as the $40 million the US paid to the French Canal Company for the rights to the Canal.
Over 56,000 people were employed during the construction period from 1904-1913. Sadly, about ten percent of them died from diseases and accidents.
~Current Opperations
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The Canal opperates
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are over 9,000 employed
and over one million vessels have passed through the canal to date. Today,
the average ship pays $320,000 to pass through the Canal, but saves roughly
ten times that amount by not having to travel all the way around South America.
The savings in time and money speak for themselves.
Canal Layout
The length of the canal is 50 miles long from the Pacific to the Atlantic.The average ship takes 8-10 hours to complete the transit through the Canal.
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At mid-tide,
a ship starting at the Pacific end of the Canal is lifted at the Miraflores
Locks to the elvation of the Miraflores Lake (54 foot lift). Then, the ship
is lifted in the Pedro Miguel Locks (31 feet) to the Gatun Lake. This lake
acts as the main water source for the locks. The ship will descend through
the Gatun Locks into the Atlantic Ocean.Features
The current Canal chambers are divided by two miter gates that join together and seal off before water begins filing the lock chamber. Each chamber takes roughly 8 minutes to fill up and requires 26.7 million gallons of water.
