PDI NEWS, Photos on Minera-Panama web site.
Infrastructure Improvement
Construction on the Llano Grande-Molejón road is moving forward
(Panama, April 24, 2012) Rehabilitation work on the Llano Grande-Molejón road and the construction of several access roads in neighboring areas to the Cobre Panama project could finish this year between the months of August and September.
According to Joe Rokosh, Construction Manager for Minera Panama, the improvement work has advanced at a good pace which should allow completion of the work within the estimated time. These jobs include reduction of the inclination angle of the road (reduce until reaching an inclination of 15%), extend the panels, creation of ditches and roadways, building three bridges, replace existing fords and paving the roads in the communities of Cascajal, Ranchería, Molejón and Llano Grande.
"The improvements will provide an infrastructure that will benefit surrounding communities to the project, increasing commerce and, hence, the quality of life of its residents. This will also allow adequate transport and movement logistics of heavy and specialized equipment necessary for construction of the mine, thus complying with company security policies", explained Mercedes Morris, Director of External Relations for Minera Panama.
Minera Panama is carrying out this work with the support of Joint Venture Panama (JVP), a company that is in charge of administration and supervision of construction of the Llano Grande-Molejón road, the Molejón detour and the internal road. JVP is a joint company, responsible for offering basic engineering services and supervision of construction for the Cobre Panama project.
Improvements to the principal road are being done by Urban Construction Group S.A. (Grupo Constructora Urbana S.A., CUSA), while the Molejón detour, which offers a direct path to the project, is being built by the joint company of PDI and Constructora MECO, S.A.
Meanwhile, the company FCC Construcción de Centroamérica S.A. will build the internal road which will provide access to industrial installations and to construction work on the road that will connect the Cobre Panama project with the port, which will be located on the Colon Coast.
In zones where earth movement will occur due to road improvements, Minera Panama takes measures to control erosion such as hydro-seeding. These actions generate multiple benefits for the environment and the communities, like controlling the loss of topsoil and stabilizing slopes to prevent landslides, which favors water infiltration and therefore the growth of plants, which in turn reduce erosion, which regulates the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
Security measures are also being implemented for residents of communities near the road, like the installation of sidewalks and safety lines which are part of the measures taken by the company to prevent accidents. In this way Minera Panama is compliant with Panamanian and international norms for this project, permitting implementation of the best security practices.
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