There are few canals as strategic in the world as the Panama Canal: in 2025 alone, 13,404 ships passed through it, according to official data. And although it is coming out competition in Mexicohas a difficult time surpassing its numbers. The Panama Canal is essential for the logistics of the continent as it connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but it also part of the Central American country. So the mayor’s office has had an idea: take advantage an Elon Musk contest pedestrianize the canal so that people can cross it on foot or on foot. And the best thing: if their plan goes well, they won’t pay a single balboa.
The Boring Company gives away a tunnel. A brief presentation: The Boring Company is Elon Musk’s tunnel construction company and its project portfolio includes the vegas loop either the Encoreboth in Las Vegas. On January 18, the company threw down the gauntlet: “Tunnel Vision Challenge“, an open call to any entity to propose where to build their next tunnel. If you win, you get it for free.
The rules are simple but they significantly limit the applications: the tunnel cannot exceed one mile in length (1.6 kilometers), it must have an interior diameter of 12 feet (3.66 meters). The use is free: it can be for the passage of people, goods, supplies… of course, it must be well justified what problem it solves and its construction must be viable from a technical, economic and regulatory point of view.
Panama’s proposal. The Panama América newspaper collects the Panamanian proposal from the hand of its mayor, Mayer Mizrachi: the first pedestrian crossing to cross the Canal, which until now can at most be crossed by car (soon, also by metro). The estimated length is around 600 – 900 meters, within the limit of conditions, and the diameter is sufficient for the passage of people and bicycles.
According to his estimates, 45,000 people a day would pass through this future pedestrianization, new public areas will be built at the end, panels on its walls to tell the story and, ultimately, a tourist use of what is the most famous infrastructure in the country. Of the 487 proposals, Panama’s is among the 15 finalists, says the politician.
Why is it important. Because the Panama Canal is not just a waterway: it is a barrier that divides the country and its capital. Panama City and its metropolitan area have been growing on both sides of the Canal for more than a century, depending on the car and facing heavy traffic at specific times.
This step changes the mobility paradigm, favoring transportation in more sustainable means and life around the Canal, for example going for a run or a walk. A recovery of space for people. The Panama Canal was already providential for the country’s logistics and economy, but tourism has enormous potential: a tunnel with its museum component through which you can walk under the largest ships on the planet. Without that tunnel, It has already received a million visitors in 2025 alone.
Context. The subsoil of the Canal is geologically complex, with volcanic materials and clays that have historically given stability problems (cockroach training) and challenges such as the point where the Continental Mountain Range intersects (Culebra Cut). However, Panama has experience in excavations, without going any further, with the subway lines and the relatively recent expansion of the Canal. But who would be in charge of the construction would be The Boring Company. Of course, before talking about costs and deadlines, an exhaustive geotechnical study would have to be carried out.
That said, before its materialization and engineering challenges there is the institutional obstacle: the Panama Canal is administered by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous body of the State. That is, the mayor does not have the power to authorize the works. Before carrying out the work, it is an essential requirement that the Panamanian government and the ACP give approval. In fact, Mayer Mizrachi has already publicly requested the support of the president of the country.
What’s going to happen now. The deadline for submitting proposals It concluded on February 23 and a month later, on March 23, the winner would theoretically be announced. The date has already passed and as we write this article, The Boring Company has not yet made a statement, which could mean three things: that the announcement has simply been delayed, that Musk’s company has opted to declare the winner void, or that they are in full negotiations before announcing the winner.
If Panama wins, a three-way negotiation will begin between the city mayor, ACP and the central government for the granting of permits and other bureaucracy derived from a work of such magnitude, which includes the public use of the ends of the tunnel. Even if you didn’t win, it wouldn’t mean the end: reaching the final of a competition with almost 500 applications seeking innovative mobility and your idea could be the starting point to follow your own path.
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Cover | Pancanal and The Boring Company
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