- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Portugal
- Lisboa city
- Name Bridge April 25
The April 25 Suspension Bridge connects the city of Lisbon with the municipality of Almade and crosses the confluence of the Tagus River into the Atlantic Ocean. The idea of creating a bridge connecting Lisbon with Almada arose in 1876, but only in 1953 did the Portuguese government form a commission whose main task was to organize rail and road traffic between the capital and the southern banks of the Tagus River. In 1958, an official decision was made to build the bridge, and in 1959 an open international competition for its design was announced. On May 9, 1962, the United States Export Steel Company won the competition, and on November 5, 1962, the construction of the bridge began. The work was carried out by the American Bridge Construction Company and eleven local companies. The total cost of the erected bridge at the time of its opening was 32 million US dollars. On August 6, 1966, a bridge opening ceremony was held in Almada, attended by the President of Portugal, America de Deus Rudrigues Tumas, the Prime Minister António di Oliveira Salazar and the Patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal Manuel Gonçalves. The bridge was called the Salazar Bridge. After the revolution of April 25, 1974, as a result of which democracy was established in Portugal, the bridge was renamed and became known as the April 25 Bridge. In 1998, the width of the roadway for vehicles was expanded from 4 to 6 lanes, and on June 30, 1999, the movement of trains along the Southern line was opened. The length of the bridge is 2,277.64 meters, the height of the upper platform above the water surface is 70 meters, the height of the main supports above the water surface is 190 meters. April 25th Bridge is one of the longest bridges in the world, with more than 150,000 cars and 157 trains passing through it daily. At the stage of approval of the project, it was planned that the paid passage through the April 25 Bridge will pay off the debts accumulated over twenty years, and immediately after that the operation of the bridge will become free. However, the Portuguese government decided to keep the fee at the same level; today, only the northbound fare is charged. In 1996, bridge maintenance was handed over to the private Luzoponte consortium.
