e-mosty June 2018 American Bridges American Bridges | Page 62

Banacito, Panama – 106-Meter Suspension Bridge
8°48’28.4”N 80°20’24.0”W
The Toabre River is an impassable obstacle for the
residents of the Banacito community for nine months
or more each year.
For the remaining three months, it is only crossable by
boat or on horseback, and the next nearest crossing
point if one is on foot is a two-hour walk downstream.
The Toabre River flows directly to the Caribbean Sea,
and is a vital vein in Panama’s Cocle region, but
intense rains and drastic flooding make it equally
dangerous for residents of surrounding communities.
More than 300 subsistence farmers and their families
live in Banacito, and send their children to a
secondary school on the opposite side of the river.
Because the river is so dangerous to cross, many
students remain on the side of the river with the
secondary school for weeks at a time, only seeing
their families on weekends, when they have time to
wait for the height of the river to drop enough to
make an attempt to cross.
emergency medical situations are very rarely
addressed by a doctor and farmers focus their efforts
on rice and yucca, which is less likely to spoil if they’re
unable to make it to market within the week.
The 106-meter long suspension bridge that will
provide year-round access to the Banacito community
is currently under construction.
Given the community’s relative isolation and
Panama’s long rainy season, the Bridges to Prosperity
team had to work quickly to ensure that trucks
delivering materials to site were able to access the
riverbank.
The community constructed flat “barge” type boats
out of wood to transport materials, such as cement,
gravel, and tools, across the river, and the local canoe
boat operator has made, on average, six to eight trips
across the river each day in support of the
construction team.
Construction is slated to be completed in June 2018.
The hospital is also found across the river, as is the
market and key government services, meaning that
Figure 7: Members of the Banacito community cross the
river by boat (pre-bridge construction)
Figure 8: Members of the Banacito community feed
the construction team
2/2018