When thinking of a bridge in Lisbon, the first one that comes to mind for most people would be the Ponte 25 de Abril. Quite remarkable if you consider that Lisbon is also home to the longest bridge in Europe. Often forgotten, but that does not make this bridge any less impressive.
With a length of 17.2 km, the Ponte Vasco da Gama is the longest continuous bridge in Europe. Yes, the Crimean bridge is 19 km, but with an island in the middle, it’s technically 2 bridges, so Portugal is still number 1. This guide tells you all you need to know about the Ponte Vasco da Gama, including a fun fact at the end.
Financial challenges
With the Ponte 25 de Abril unable to handle the increased volume of commuters, plans were made to build an extra bridge over the widest part of the river Tejo. Ideas of this new bridge were around for decades already, but the length in combination with the soft swampy ground and the chance of seismic activity pushed the cost for this project way beyond the government's budget.
A big help in overcoming these financial challenges was the World Expo 1998 being held in Lisbon, bringing in investors, leading to the city’s biggest renewal project since the 1755 earthquake. The Portuguese government outsourced the building, maintenance, and most importantly, the financing to private companies. Therefore, this bridge didn’t cost the Portuguese tax payers a cent.
Consortium Lusoponte, consisting of Portuguese, French and British companies, got the contract for the almost impossible task of finishing this bridge before the World Expo. In return they get all the toll income for both bridges for the next 40 years. With a toll ranging between €3.20 for cars up to €13.55 for trucks and an average of 60.000 vehicles crossing this bridge every day, Lusoponte is earning back the investment.
Engineering masterpiece
It only took Lusoponte 3 years to build this bridge: eighteen months of preparation and eighteen months of construction. The bridge was built in 4 separate pieces executed by 4 different companies overlooked by Lusoponte.
The foundations of the bridge reach 95 meter underground. The pylons built on shock absorbers and hydraulic couplings, are not fixed to the deck, making it able to move separately. According to the architects, the bridge can withstand earthquakes stronger than the one in 1755, winds of over 250 km/h and even ships colliding with the bridge.
All this together, makes the Ponte Vasco da Gama a true engineering masterpiece.
Opening of the bridge
As mentioned previously, a main reason to rush the construction was the 1998 World Expo starting on 22 May. Theme of this World Expo was “World oceans” aligning with the 500 year anniversary of Vasco da Gama reaching Calicut. For this reason the bridge is named after the most famous Portuguese explorer.
On 29 March 1998, it was finally time to open up the bridge to traffic. It’s a shame they couldn’t wait another 52 days to 20 May, as this would be exactly 500 years after the man after whom this bridge got its name, became the first European to sail from Europe to India.
Parque das Naçoes:
The area close to the bridge has gone through a huge transformation from the start of the construction till today. After the World Expo, the area got closed for 6 months, buildings were already sold to investors before the Expo to prevent them from being abandoned and making sure the event wouldn’t leave Portugal with a huge debt.
Nowadays it’s a true modern center of the city, with the main entrance to the Expo being converted to the Vasco da Gama shopping center, the Vasco da Gama tower being a 5-star hotel and apartment blocks housing thousands of people.
Wherever you go in Parque das Naçoes, you’re never far away from a breath taking view over the river and of course the Vasco da Gama bridge.
Fun fact:
One week before opening the bridge, 15,000 people, including the workers, got invited for lunch on the bridge. Everyone was sitting on the same table, stretching out for over 5 km, breaking the world record for longest table setting. On this long table, people were enjoying feijoada, a typical Portuguese stew with meat, sausages and black beans. Very tasty, but it can get a bit messy, especially with that many people. This was kind of the point as the event was hosted by detergent producer Fairy as part of a marketing campaign.
Comments