<P> These concerns led Congress to pass a resolution on May 1, 1936, authorizing a study of improving the canal's defenses against attack and expanding its capacity to handle large vessels . A special engineering section was created on July 3, 1937, to carry out the study . The section reported to Congress on February 24, 1939, recommending work to protect the existing locks and the construction of a new set of locks capable of carrying larger vessels than the existing locks could accommodate . On August 11, Congress authorized the work . </P> <P> Three new locks were planned, at Gatún, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores, parallel to the existing locks with new approach channels . The new locks would add a traffic lane to the canal, with each chamber 1,200 ft (365.76 m) long, 140 ft (42.67 m) wide and 45 ft (13.72 m) deep . They would be ⁄ mi (805 m) east of the existing Gatún locks and ⁄ mi (402 m) west of the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks . </P> <P> The first excavations for the new approach channels at Miraflores began on July 1, 1940, following the passage by Congress of an appropriations bill on June 24, 1940 . The first dry excavation at Gatún began on February 19, 1941 . Considerable material was excavated before the project was abandoned, and the approach channels can still be seen paralleling the original channels at Gatún and Miraflores . </P> <P> In 2006, the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (the Panama Canal Authority, or ACP) proposed a plan creating a third lane of locks using part of the abandoned 1940s approach canals . Following a referendum, work began in 2007 and the expanded canal began commercial operations on June 26, 2016 . After a two - year delay, the new locks allow the transit of Panamax ships (which have a greater cargo capacity than the original locks can handle). The first ship to cross the canal through the third set of locks was a Panamax container ship, the Chinese - owned Cosco Shipping Panama . The cost of the expansion was estimated at $5.25 billion . </P>

Who was the united states president that was most responsible for the canal