Bridge of Americas

 The Bridge of Americas, or Puente de las Américas in Spanish, was built in 1962 along the Pan-American Highway as a more efficient way for vehicle traffic to travel between land masses on the North and South of the Panama Canal.
At first it was called the Thatcher Ferry Bridge in honor of the original ferry that helped vehicles cross the Panama Canal. Just a decade after the bridge was officially commissioned, it was unofficially renamed as the Bridge of Americas, much preferred by the Panamanian government. Only in 1979 was the “Bridge of Americas” name officially recognized.

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