Which Panama Canal bridge, opened in 1962, was originally called the Thatcher Ferry Bridge?

The Bridge of the Americas is the Panama Canal bridge opened in 1962 that was originally called the Thatcher Ferry Bridge.

The bridge crosses the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal near Panama City. Before it opened, vehicles and pedestrians depended on ferries to cross the canal, so the bridge created a permanent land connection between the eastern and western sides.

Its original name honored the ferry service it replaced. Panama renamed it the Bridge of the Americas in 1979, reflecting its symbolic position at the meeting point of North and South America.

The bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended central span. It is distinct from Panama’s Centennial Bridge, which opened later and provides another canal crossing farther north.