In Paraiso along side the Panama Canal dignitaries including current Panamanian president Martin Torrijos, Administrator of the Panama Canal Alberto Aleman Zubieta and former US president Jimmy Carter all speak before the ceremonial explosion at Cerro Paraiso. The Panama Canal expansion project is projected to take seven years and costs more then 5 Billion dollars. More then 10,000 Panamanians turned out for the historic event.