It was built to supplement the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas and to replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway.
Since the bridge represented a major bottleneck in the Pan-American Highway, Panama's Ministry of Public Works requested tenders for a second canal crossing in October 2000.
The bridge was inaugurated on schedule on 15 August 2004, although it was opened for traffic on 2 September 2005, when the new highways leading to it were finished.
[2][3] Part of the access to the Centennial Bridge collapsed in December 2010, following heavy rain and flooding.
The West Tower was built about 50 m inland to allow space for the future widening of the Panama Canal.