Description

Essentials about the Vasco da Gama Bridge in brief

Besides the Ponte 25 de Abril (25 de Abril Bridge), the Ponte Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Bridge) is the second impressive crossing of the Tagus River. With a total length of 17.2 kilometers (including the access road), it is the longest bridge in Europe and one of the longest bridges in the world. The Vasco da Gama Bridge connects the Lisbon districts of Moscavide and Sacavém on the west bank with the town of Montijo on the east bank of the Tagus. The bridge was named after the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the sea route to India in 1498.

The history of the Vasco da Gama Bridge

The background to the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge was the chronic traffic congestion of the 25 de Abril Bridge, which was the only road crossing of the Tagus until the 1990s. On the occasion of the World Expo in Lisbon in 1998, the Vasco da Gama Bridge was built between 1995 and 1998. The former Expo site, the so-called “Parque das Nações” (Park of Nations) is also directly accessible via this bridge.

The architecture of the Vasco da Gama Bridge

The Vasco da Gama Bridge is divided into seven sections: First, the access roads in Lisbon; second, the West Viaduct with a length of 488 meters; third, the Expo Viaduct with a length of 672 meters; fourth, the main section with the 420-meter-long main opening for shipping; fifth, the Middle Viaduct with a length of 6,351 meters; sixth, the East Viaduct with a length of 3,825 meters; and seventh, the access roads at Montijo. The A12 freeway with six lanes passes over the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

Website

Unavailable.

Opening hours

None.

Admission fees

Car toll: €2.65 (only in a south-north direction)

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Inaccessible.

By car:

There are no parking spaces on the east and west sides of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.