GATUN, Panama — The Panama Canal’s expansion is finally beginning to look like a channel that will float some of the biggest ships in the world by mid-2015.

The proposal now calls for new 180-foot-wide, 1,400-foot-long locks on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal that would dwarf the current 110-foot-wide, 1,000-foot-long locks.

Panama Canal Authority work crews conduct a scheduled maintenance and overhaul at Gatún Locks, located at the Atlantic Ocean entrance to the Canal.

A cargo ship traverses the Miraflores Locks, the last part of the Panama Canal before vessels reach the Pacific Ocean, in Panama City, on January 8, 2025. - Alejandro Cegarra/The New York Times/Redux ...

The Panama Canal reaffirmed its commitment to the safety and protection of its workers, clients and users. No injuries were reported. MENAFN25112024000218011062ID1108925409 ...

Included in the handover were the canal and locks, the huge Gatun Lakes dam, a hydroelectric plant, the isthmus-wide railroad, and the Panama Canal zone, with all its infrastructure.

This article was originally published with the title “Build Gatun Locks for the Future” inScientific American Magazine Vol. 97 No. 26(December 1907), p. 470doi:10.1038 ...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28.—That a firm foundation will be found for the Gatun Dam and locks of the Panama Canal is stated in the annual report of the Isthmian Canal Commission, made public here to-day.