25 de Abril Bridge
The 25 de Abril Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte 25 de Abril, 25th of April Bridge, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpõtɨ ˈvĩt (i) ˈsĩku ðɨ ɐˈβɾil]) is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus River. It has a main span length of 1,013 metres (3,323 ft), making it the 48th longest suspension bridge in the world.
Ponte 25 de Abril | |
|---|---|
View with the Christ the King Sanctuary | |
| Coordinates | 38°41′21″N 09°10′37″W |
| Carries | Six road lanes of IP 7
A 2 Two railway tracks of Linha do Sul |
| Crosses | Tagus River |
| Locale | Lisbon (right/North bank) Pragal (left/South bank) |
| Official name | Ponte 25 de Abril |
| Other name(s) | Ponte Salazar (before 1974) Tagus River Bridge |
| Maintained by | Lusoponte |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension |
| Total length | 3,173 metres (10,410 ft) |
| Longest span | 1,012.9 m |
| Clearance below | 70 m at mean high water |
| History | |
| Constructed by | American Bridge Company |
| Opened | 6 August 1966 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 150,000 cars 157 trains |
| Toll | 2.10 € (northbound only) |
| Location | |
At the time of its inauguration in 1966, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar), after Portuguese Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar, who ordered its construction. After the Carnation Revolution in 1974, which overthrew the remnants of Salazar's Estado Novo regime, the bridge was renamed for April 25, the date of the revolution. It is also commonly called the Tagus River Bridge (in Portuguese: Ponte sobre o Tejo = "bridge over the Tagus").
Later changes had to be made due to the rapid increase in population. In the 1990s, a fifth car lane was added, and in 1999, a lower deck, used as a railway track, which was planned since the beginning, was finally built. Today, the upper deck carries six car lanes while the lower deck carries a double track railway, electrified at 25 kV AC.