Panama Canal vote set for October

Panama Canal vote set for October    A referendum election for the approval of the planned Panama Canal expansion has been set for October 22.
   Panamanian President Martin Torrijos issued a statement saying he would sign a bill Monday that would officially establish the special election.
      The election is the final legal step needed for the expansion project. The executive branch of the Panamanian government first selected the
expansion plan from among several options. The legislature then gave the plan the okay and passed a bill that leads to the election.
   The canal expansion will add a third set of locks-effectively a new lane for ships-to increase capacity and allow for larger vessels to use the
Panama route.
   The project is expected to cost $5.3 billion and would take until 2014 to complete.