Description of the attraction
Vasco da Gama Bridge is a cable car suspension bridge in Lisbon over the Tagus River. Viaducts (overpasses) and access roads adjoin it on both sides. Together with viaducts and transport roads, the length of the bridge is 17.2 km.
With the advent of the bridge, the load on another bridge in Lisbon, the 25 April Bridge, has been significantly reduced. It was with the aim of unloading the Bridge named after April 25 in February 1995 that the construction of the bridge began. And three years later, in 1998, the opening of the bridge took place, timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's opening of the sea route from Europe to India, which coincided with the holding of Expo-98, the World Fair.
A 6-lane car traffic is organized across the bridge. The speed limit is 120 km / h, the same as on the motorway, but in one lane the speed limit is 100 km / h. In windy, rainy or foggy weather, the speed is limited to 90 km / h. The number of lanes on the bridge increases (2 more lanes are added) if the number of cars that cross the bridge every day increases to 52,000.
The bridge consists of sections: main bridge, viaducts (north, central, south and expo), access roads (north and south). The estimated service life of the bridge is 120 years. It is worth noting that the Vasco da Gama bridge is able to withstand wind forces up to 250 km / h and an earthquake 4.5 times stronger than the 1755 Lisbon earthquake known in history.
Since 2009, travel across the bridge in the north direction is paid (in the direction of Lisbon). To the south, travel across the bridge is free.
