The February 2024 inauguration of the upgraded Panamericana Oestae Highway between Loma Cová and Burunga in Panama added a key element to the rapidly expanding region’s need for improved infrastructure. PENESEAL PRO, a liquid reactive penetrating concrete sealer, was specified to waterproof the concrete structures of the highway bridges.

The original concept of the Pan-American Highway was first presented in 1889 as an overland route from the tip of North America all the way to the southernmost tip of South America – as a railroad! By 1923, the idea of building a highway emerged, an agreement between all the countries along the route was signed, and construction began in 1937. Today, the Pan-American Highway is the longest drivable road in the world, comprising a network of over 30,000 miles (48,000 km). The main stretch between Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, is around 15,000 miles (24,000 km), except for a gap of approximately 100 km (62 miles) on the border of Colombia and Panama.

The Panamericana Oestae Highway in Panama is a corridor of the Pan-American Highway, which includes the newly completed highway now connecting Loma Cová (just west of Panama City) and Burunga to the north.

“By upgrading this section of the Panamericana Oeste highway, the Government of Panama has moved to ensure the continued economic development of the region,” explains L.E. Aura Varo, Director of Ecogreen International, the Penetron representative for Panama. “This project benefits the around 600,000 inhabitants of Panama West by reducing travel times – and providing a connection to two soon-to-be completed projects: the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal and Line 3 of the Metro network.”

Construction work on the US$413 million project was carried out by the SOIMSA Facility, the general contractor, to rebuild 7 miles (11 km) of the Pan-American Highway. The route was widened from four to eight lanes, featuring three lanes in either direction as well as a central two-lane roadway to add capacity where needed during traffic peaks. In addition, the project included construction of three bridges, two highway spans, and five new interchanges.

“The project specifications mandated waterproofing of the precast concrete beams of the access slab and the bearing slab of the bridges,” adds L.E. Aura Varo. “PENESEAL PRO was the only product that met all the requirements to seal the concrete road structures and allow an asphalt coating on top of the waterproofing layer.”

Applied as a spray-on liquid sealer, PENESEAL PRO is a reactive sealer that penetrates into the concrete to form a sub-surface gel barrier to seal hairline cracks and protect concrete against water penetration. This sub-surface gel seals the pores, capillaries and cracks of the concrete matrix and remains active as long as water is present, to seal any future hairline cracks.

“PENESEAL PRO has been proven in similar highway and bridge construction projects from around the world,” states L.E. Aura Varo. “Ultimately, our local Penetron team in Panama provided the necessary support to ensure correct application rates for PENESEAL PRO, and overall management of the application and curing process to contribute to a successful project.”