Panama Canal - Layout

Layout

While the Atlantic Ocean is east of the isthmus and the Pacific to the west, the general direction of the 8- to 10-hour canal passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific is from southeast to northwest. This is because of a local anomaly in the shape of the isthmus at the point the canal occupies. The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas) at the Pacific side is about a third of a degree east of the Colón end on the Atlantic side. Still, in formal nautical communications, the simplified directions "Southbound" and "Northbound" are used.

The canal consists of artificial lakes, several improved and artificial channels, and three sets of locks. An additional artificial lake, Alajuela Lake (known during the American era as Madden Lake), acts as a reservoir for the canal. The layout of the canal as seen by a ship passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific is as follows:

• From the formal marking line of the Atlantic Entrance, one enters Limón Bay (Bahía Limón), a large natural harbour. The entrance runs 8.7 km (5.4 mi). It provides a deepwater port (Christóbal), with facilities like multimodal cargo exchange (to and from train) and the Colón Free Trade Zone (a free port).
• A 3.2 km (2.0 mi) channel forms the approach to the locks from the Atlantic side.
• The Gatun locks, a three-stage flight of locks 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long, lifts ships to the Gatun Lake level, some 26.5 metres (87 ft) above sea level.
• Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by the building of the Gatun Dam, carries vessels 24.2 km (15.0 mi) across the isthmus. It is the summit canal stretch, fed by the Gatun river and emptied by basic lock operations.
• 6 From the lake, the Chagres River, a natural waterway enhanced by the damming of Gatun Lake, runs about 8.5 km (5.3 mi). Here the upper Chagres river feeds the high level canal stretch.
• The Gaillard cut (or Culebra cut) slices 12.6 km (7.8 mi) through the mountain ridge, crosses the continental divide and passes under the Centennial Bridge.
• The single-stage Pedro Miguel lock, which is 1.4 km (0.87 mi) long, is the first part of the descent with a lift of 9.5 meters (31 ft).
• The artificial Miraflores Lake, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, and 16.5 meters (54 ft) above sea level.
• The two-stage Miraflores locks, is 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, with a total descent of 16.5 meters (54 ft) at mid-tide.
• From the Miraflores locks one reaches Balboa harbour, again with multimodal exchange provision (here the railway meets the shipping route again). Nearby is Panama City.
• From this harbour an entrance/exit channel leads to the Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Panama), 13.2 km (8.2 mi) from the Miraflores locks, passing under the Bridge of the Americas.

Thus, the total length of the canal is 77.1 km (47.9 mi).