Work will start shortly on the second stretch of the Panama-Colon highway in Panama. The work will see 14km of new highway being built and the work will be carried out by Brazilian contractor Norberto 1305 Odebrecht. The work is expected to cost US$218 million. The Panama Government will spend $18 million on compensating people affected by the project. The first stage of the Panama-Colon highway, a 35km section, had an initial budget of $184 million although costs spiralled and the work eventually cost $281 million.