Panama New Parks Open in Panama City, On The Bay

Cinta Costera: Is The Place To Go


Story by Minerva Bethancourth / The Panama Post

SPIA gives recommendations to the MOP The work was inaugurated on June 28 at a cost of US $189 million

The Cinta Costera (Coastal strip) in Balboa Avenue has become a new tourist attraction in the city of Panama. Since its inauguration last June 28, Balboa Avenue is the new meeting point for locals and foreigners.

This work was possible by the use of 2 million cubic meters of landfill in the sea and the doubling of Avenida Balboa to 3.5 kilometers of extension.

Seaside facilities and green trees are a fertile breeding ground for initiatives, because the project is still subject to a number of adjustments to improve its physical installations.

The Government of Panama requested permission from the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) to enable a walk with busts and statues dedicated to heroes of the independence and prominent citizens. And recently, the City Mayor, Bosco Vallarino, suggested at first to make the 2010 Carnival on the Cinta Costera.
For sculptor, Ricaurte Martínez, these sites offer areas that can be used to give life to culture and art.

Recreation

Every day hundreds of people visit the Cinta Costera to enjoy healthy recreational time with family, friends or their partner. And when you think there is not room for more people, new visitors always arrive.

During a tour through the Cinta Costera you can see people working out, playing basketball, volleyball or soccer. Also, the youngest ones enjoy a bicycle tour and couples take a romantic stroll.

There is a panoramic view that allows you to see the skyscrapers of the exclusive area of Punta Paitilla, and on the other side you can observe the Old Town of Panama, declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The Cinta Costera begins over the Bay of Panama, name designated to the fourth wetland of international importance.
At night the Cinta Costera is not uninhabited, because, just as during the day, the assistance of people is still impressive.

The creation of spaces, gardens and pedestrian elements are part of the projects being planned during the current administration.

The Cinta Costera has 26 hectares of recreation and four vehicle lanes in the direction of the Corredor Sur (one fast lane), and the six lanes of Avenida Balboa remain as access to the Capital City. Moreover, it has more than eight courts and recreational parks, five gazebos and a bikeway.

The new structure has access ramps at the bridges, facilitating the traffic and entry for park visitors.

The project cost was $ 189 million and was a task entrusted to the Brazilian consortium Norberto Odebrecht, who is carrying out various infrastructure projects in the country.

Extension

The second phase of the Cinta Costera could start its building process by the end of this year, after the National Economic Council (CENA) recently awarded the concession to the Odebrecht company for over US$ 55 million.

The construction of the second phase will be done to connect the current work from the Mercado del Marisco to the vicinity of the presidency of the Republic and will include a filling in the Bay of Panama area, the building of an amphitheater and a special area to place small businesses.

Official reports reveal that the work could also include the construction of a tunnel that would go through the Old Town, to the Calzada de Amador.


Recommendations

The new administration, in an effort to improve the facilities, requested a series of recommendations to the Panamanian Society of Engineers and Architects (SPIA), who already gave them to the MOP and to the Mayor of Panama.

SPIA´s President, Ernesto De León, said that 32 recommendations were given on issues that can be refined in the Cinta Costera. He added that, along with an interdisciplinary committee, an evaluation was done to improve the facilities offered by the site.

The Mayor of Panama raised the need to build passive communal areas throughout the district, similar to the wide open spaces of the Cinta Costera, where cultural and daily recreational experiences can be exchanged in a healthy and orderly manner.