Several Fourth Bridge fronts restart after safety fixes

If you live in Panamá Oeste, commute across the Canal bridges, or watch how the Fourth Bridge construction squeezes Amador and Balboa traffic, Tuesday's restart notice is the update after last week's freeze.

On 29 September 2026, the Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP) said safety findings that had stopped several work fronts on the Cuarto Puente sobre el Canal were corrected, and labor inspections cleared a restart. Telemetro carried the MOP list: M4, M6, Cerro Sosa, foundations W14 and W15, Balboa, and the East concrete plant. Infobae and EcoTV echoed the reopening after Mitradel had ordered a broad suspension.

How we got here

Mitradel had frozen about 90% of the project after a worker fell roughly two meters from a platform in the Figali prefabrication area on the night of 24 September. Labor minister Jackeline Muñoz said fronts would reopen only after corrective safety measures and a verifying inspection. Infobae notes she also referenced prior serious incidents on the project, including three fatal accidents in the broader safety history cited to the press. That is context for the safety crackdown, not a new fatality on 29 September.

What MOP says is moving again

After those corrections, MOP says the named fronts are working again. Infobae, citing MOP project inspection director Ernesto Zúñiga in recent coverage, places physical progress around 41%, with contractual delivery still aimed at December 2028, and total investment language around $2.387 billion including an East Interchange addendum. More than 2,200 people were reported working on the project, with a climb toward 3,000+ direct jobs in the peak 2027 window. Those schedule and cost figures are useful context; they are not a brand-new 29 Sep audit.

What this does not fix overnight

A restart is not a finished bridge. Equipment moves and night pinch windows around Amador and Balboa can still snarl traffic. Safety obligations continue. Where Infobae speaks more broadly of "all suspended fronts," Telemetro's named list is the clearest public inventory for 29 September.

Bottom line for expats: the megaproject that will eventually add a six-lane Canal crossing toward Panamá Oeste is back in motion after a labor stop, not magically open to cars. Expect more construction traffic and the same advice as before: leave extra time on Amador, Balboa, and West corridors, and treat Dec 2028 as a contract target, not a promise that your commute is fixed next month.

Based on Telemetro/MOP (29 Sep 2026), with Infobae and EcoTV context.