Several fragments of a bridge once connecting the Camino de Cruces where it crossed the Río Curundú, near the present-day Hospital Santa Fé in Balboa, were discovered in storage area in Panamá Viejo.

Archaeologist Stanley Heckadon indicated that he had pushed for years to ensure that the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INAC) preserved the structure, which was built between 1515 and 1519. He explained that a project undertaken by Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP) in 1997 had caused the bridge to collapse, and Inac had neglected to take action to restore it.

In the meantime, said Heckadon, MOP workers had removed the 24 pieces, each weighing several tons, transferring them to the Panamá Viejo area where they were recently rediscovered.

Lineth Montenegro, Inac´s director of Patrimonio Histórico, said that “Inac could not do anything if the bridge was not declared ´historical.´ Yes, the structure had a value, but it was never declared a piece of historical heritage.”

Source: http://www.prensa.com/hoy/herald/1341993.html