Too bad for your cheer leading, I spent two weeks there a few months ago, driven/escorted through the Gatun Locks daily by a dual-citizenship fellow that pointed out the decay. I suspect he knows quite a bit more than you, having been born and living there 60+ years.
The locks looked like rusted shiite to my eye. He confirmed they were totally left to rot, that never when the US ran the Zone was rust to be seen anywhere.
The total decay of all the buildings (other than the refurbished university/hotel) was quite apparent. He told me how the 26 years since the zone was turned over have been a joke, with little to nothing done by the Panamanian government to do shiite. To be honest, they may not have the resources, dunno, and do not give a shiite, not to the point. Point is that the place is decaying.
I saw it, spin away, had a local educate me. Whoever you are, I got the straight scoop, not whatever you are peddling..........
was NO rust to be seen anywhere.
The old Canal Zone is different from the Canal itself. You are now referring to the whole thing and in that, you would be correct in stating it has gone downhill. It is not a military base and Panamanians have not grasped the concept of throwing litter into garbage cans yet. Sad but true. However, the ACP has nothing to do with much of what you are now referring to.
The government of Panama was given a huge tract of land with over 50,000 buildings. Few were sold off. Now, redevelopment is taking hold.
The Panama Canal however is doing just fine. Profits are up on less revenue. Every business or government leader coming in that I meet is very impressed by the efforts down here.
The lock doors are refurbished on a regular basis and indeed, cause a bit of a delay during those times. Could it be you mistook the color of paint they use for rust? Could it be that your friend does not know about the new hydraulic mechanisms installed after the turnover?
The concrete for the locks is tougher than ever and now requires special drills to work with. Jackhammers have little to no effect. I would say that despite the looks of the locks, they are doing more business than ever over the last 10 years. In some cases, you see less attention on looks and more on performance. The things that count in terms of being a business.