Highway 11 (Panama)
Carretera 11 (Spanish) | |
Chiriquí Grande–Almirante–Changuinola–Guabito Road | |
Highway 11 highlighted in red | |
Route information | |
Length | 106 km[1] (66 mi) |
Major junctions | |
From | |
Northwest end | |
Location | |
Country | Panama |
Highway system | |
The Highway 11 (Spanish: Carretera 11)[a] is a primary road that connects several urban centers along the Bocas del Toro Province in the northeast of Panama, extending from Rambalá to the Costa Rican border, it connects the towns of Almirante, Changuinola and Guabito.
History
Part of the original bridges where Highway 11 passes today were built by the Baltimore Bridge Company, among them is the bridge over the Sixaola River, where its original structure dated from 1908 and was originally built to transport fruit grown in the region, the bridge was subsequently replaced in 2012 after agreements signed by the authorities of Panama and Costa Rica.[3]
Construction work for a road connecting Almirante to Changuinola began in 1983.[4] The sections connecting Chiriquí Grande and Almirante were completed in 1999.[b]
In early 2006, the Panamanian construction company Bagatrac was assigned the work of rehabilitating the sections of Highway 11 connecting Changuinola to Guabito.[6] In September 2008, work began to modernize the bridge over the Changuinola River, where expansion work was carried out to allow heavier vehicles to pass over the bridge.[7] At the end of 2008, the Panamanian government reported that part of Highway 11 was rehabilitated to allow much heavier vehicles to travel on it and to facilitate the transport of food and medicine after the floods that affected the province at that time.[8]
Throughout 2018, work began on the modernization of portions of Highway 11, specifically the sections from Almirante to Changuinola.[c]
Route description
Bocas del Toro Province
Highway 11 begins with the intersection of Highway 10 around Rambalá, then the road goes much further northwest and crosses the Guarúmo River. Subsequently, the national highway crosses the hilly area between the limits of the District of Chiriqui Grande and Jirondai, specifically passing around Cerro Picacho.[10]
The subsequent route goes much further west and crosses the Gloria River.[11] The route then goes around Cerro Miramar and crosses the Frances River, from this section Highway 11 connects the corregimientos of Cañas and Palma Real, where the route has to pass through the Róbalo River.
After the national road passes through a small section of Comarca Ngöbe Buglé, the route heads to Bajo Cedro crossing Cerro Tapao. The route goes much further north in the province and crosses the Uyama River and passes near the Bosques del Cauchero area.[12] Highway 11 goes much farther north and crosses the Oeste River, then heads to the western part of the town of Almirante.
The route goes much further north and crosses the hilly area of the Almirante District, from this section, Highway 11 crosses the Changuinola River and connects the town of Empalme, then heads to the urban center of the capital of the Changuinola District.
Then, the Highway 11 heads much further west and crosses the San Juan River, then reaches the urban center of Guabito, where its last sections reach the Sixaola-Guabito International Bridge on the border of the Costa Rican province of Limón.
Ngöbe Buglé
The Highway 11 passes briefly through the Comarca Ngöbe Buglé, specifically connecting the rural locality of Silico Creek in the Jirondai District.[13]
Major intersections
Province | District | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bocas del Toro Province | Chiriquí Grande District | 0 | 0.0 | ||
Changuinola District | 106 | 66 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
External links
- Highway 11 on Wegen Wiki (in Dutch)
- Geographic Data of Highway 11 on OpenStreetMap
- Carretera Almirante – Changuinola on YouTube (in Spanish)
Notes
- ^ Spanish: La provincia mantiene su alta dependencia de la Carretera 11, que constituye su eje vertebrador, conectando Chiriquí Grande con Changuinola y extendiéndose hasta Guabito, en la frontera con Costa Rica. Translation: The province remains highly dependent on Highway 11, which is its backbone, connecting Chiriquí Grande with Changuinola and extending to Guabito, on the border with Costa Rica. (Page 16)[2]
- ^ Spanish: Antes de que se inaugurara la carretera de Chiriquí Grande a Almirante en el año 1999, para llegar a esta parte del país había que abordar un ferri y navegar por un periodo de tres horas para pasar de un punto a otro. Translation: Before the road from Chiriqui Grande to Almirante was inaugurated in 1999, to reach this part of the country you had to board a ferry and sail for a period of three hours to get from one point to another.[5]
- ^ Spanish: Actualmente, los trabajos se concentran en la construcción de la carretera Almirante – Changuinola, donde ya se han colocado 225 metros lineales de tubería de concreto de acero reforzado, para los cruces de drenajes transversales y se ha iniciado la construcción de tres cajones pluviales. Translation: Currently, work is focused on the construction of the Almirante - Changuinola road, where 225 linear meters of reinforced steel concrete pipe have already been laid for the cross drainage crossings and the construction of three storm drains has begun.[9]
References
- ^ a b Google (2024-12-29). "Driving Directions from Rambalá to Guabito" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
- ^ "Visión 2050: Bocas del Toro" (PDF). Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT) (in Spanish). 2022. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Puente de Guabito será reparado". El Siglo (in Spanish). 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ Alvarado, Briceño (2004). Editorial Universitaria "Carlos Manuel Gasteazoro" (ed.). Historia y sociedad de Bocas del Toro y de la comarca Ngöbe-Bugle del siglo XV al siglo XXI (in Spanish). p. 71. ISBN 9789962531210.
- ^ "Grandes inversiones llegan a la comunidad de Changuinola". Panamá América (in Spanish). 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ Miranda, Itsel (2006-01-08). "Entregan orden de proceder para rehabilitación de carretera en Bocas del Toro". Panamá América (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Puente de Changuinola será 2do de mayor lontigud en Panamá". Telemetro (in Spanish). 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Panamá: Carretera a Bocas es transitable y se incrementa operativo de ayuda a damnificados". ReliefWeb (in Spanish). 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Panamá: obras de la carretera Almirante – Changuinola continúan avanzando". Carreteras Pan-Americanas (in Spanish). 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ Rambalá (PDF) (Topographic map). Chiriquí Grande District, Bocas del Toro: Instituto Geográfico Nacional Tommy Guardia. § 3742 I NW. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (2025-01-07). "Vía Almirante y Río La Gloria" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (2025-01-07). "Vía Almirante y Bosques del Cauchero (Bocas del Toro)" (Map). OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
- ^ Google (2023-03-08). "Carretera 11 (Silico Creek, Ngöbe Buglé)". Google Street View. Google. Retrieved 2025-01-07.