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Vasco da Gama Bridge
Vasco da Gama Bridge
	Aerial view of the bridge
Coordinates	38°45′43″N 9°02′35″W / 38.762°N 9.043°W
Carries	Six road lanes of IP 1 A 12
Crosses	Tagus River
Locale	Sacavém, north of Lisbon (right/north bank); Alcochete and Montijo (left/south bank);
Official name	Ponte Vasco da Gama
Owner	Portuguese Republic
Maintained by	Lusoponte (1994–2030)
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed, viaducts
Total length	12.345 km (7.671 mi)
Width	30 m (98 ft)
Height	148 m (486 ft) (pylon)
Longest span	420 m (1,380 ft)
History
Architect	Michel Virlogeux, Alain Montois, Charles Lavigne and Armando Rito [pt]
Designer	Armando Rito
Construction start	February 1995
Construction end	March 1998
Opened	29 March 1998; 26 years ago
Statistics
Toll	Northbound: €3.20–€13.55; Southbound: toll-free;
Location

The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Vasco da Gama) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts that spans the Tagus River in Parque das Nações in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

It is the second longest bridge in Europe, after the Crimean Bridge,^[8] and the longest one in the European Union. It was built to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon's 25 de Abril Bridge, and eliminate the need for traffic between the country's northern and southern regions to pass through the capital city.^[9]

Construction began in February 1995; the bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.

Along with the 25 de Abril Bridge, the Vasco da Gama is one of two bridges that span the Tagus River in Lisbon.

Description

The bridge carries six road lanes, with a speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph), the same as that on motorways, except on one section which is limited to 100 km/h (60 mph). On windy, rainy, and foggy days, the speed limit is reduced to 90 km/h (56 mph). The number of road lanes will be enlarged to eight when traffic reaches a daily average of 52,000.

Bridge and access road sections

North access roads: 945 m (3,100 ft)
North viaduct: 488 m (1,601 ft)
Expo viaduct: 672 m (2,205 ft); 12 sections
Main bridge: main span: 420 m (1,378 ft); side spans: 203 m (666 ft) each (total length: 829 m or 2,720 ft); cement pillars: 150 m (492 ft)-high; free height for navigation in high tides: 45 m (148 ft);
Central viaduct: 6.351 km (3.95 mi); 80 pre-fabricated sections 78 m (256 ft)-long; 81 pillars up to 95 m (312 ft)-deep; height from 14 m (46 ft) to 30 m (98 ft)
South viaduct: 3.825 km (2.38 mi); 45 m (148 ft) sections; 84 sections; 85 pillars
South access roads: 3.895 km (2.42 mi); includes the toll plaza (18 gates) and two service areas

Construction and cost

The $1.1 billion project was split into four parts, each built by a different company, and supervised by an independent consortium. There were up to 3,300 workers simultaneously on the project, which took 18 months of preparation and 18 months of construction. The financing is via a build-operate-transfer system by Lusoponte, a private consortium that receives the first 40 years of tolls for both Lisbon bridges. Lusoponte's capital is 50.4% from Portuguese companies, 24.8% from French, and 24.8% from British.

The bridge has a life expectancy of 120 years, having been designed to withstand wind speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph) and hold up to an earthquake 4.5 times greater than the standards of building resistance in Lisbon.^[10] The deepest foundation piles, up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft) in diameter, were driven down to 95 m (312 ft) under mean sea level. Environmental pressure throughout the project resulted in the left-bank viaducts being extended inland to preserve the marshes underneath, as well as the lamp posts throughout the bridge being tilted inwards so as not to cast light on the river below.^{[citation needed]}

Toll

Northbound traffic (to Lisbon) is charged a toll while travelling southbound is free. Tolls are collected through a toll plaza located on the south bank of Tagus, near Montijo. As of 2024, bridge tolls range from €3.20 (passenger cars) to €13.55 (trucks).^[7]