The 25th April Bridge is often on the list to see in Lisbon. Bridges are the ones that connect two ends, two cities, two places, and after all, bridges serve us to connect people. The famous 25th April Bridge is a bridge that is quite reminiscent of the red suspension bridge of the Golden Gate in San Francisco and the Oakland Bay Bridge also in San Francisco. Interestingly, the April 25th Bridge and Oakland bay were done by the same company.
The architect who designed the bridge is Ray Boynton. These two bridges are sister bridges, since they are exactly the same in both design and color. This bridge crosses the river Tagus and connects Lisbon with the municipality of Almade, which is located on the left bank of the river. It was completed in 1966, when a ceremony was held on the occasion of its opening on August 6. The April 25th Bridge is 2.300 meters long, and is the 43rd largest in the world in terms of its size.
The original name of the bridge was the Salazar Bridge, after Prime Minister Antonio Salazar, who commissioned the construction of the bridge. During the construction, 20 workers were killed and the dictatorship of this prime minister was overthrown, so the bridge changes its name to today's, because on April 25th, there was a Carnation Revolution against the then government. If you hear Lisbon people call the bridge the bridge over the river Tagus, know that they always think of the April 25th bridge.
The bridge is both road and railway. It consists of 2 parts, i.e. two decks, upper and lower. There are as many as six lanes on the upper deck through which cars pass. The lower deck is used for the passage of trains. The lower deck was built somewhat later. Before the construction of the bridge in America, a school was opened for young engineers from Portugal who learned to build this giant there. Construction began in 1962 and ended in 1966. The opening ceremony of the bridge was then attended by all important officials of Portugal and the capital. This steel bridge was built of steel that was brought from America. During the construction, a total of 3.000 workers worked on the bridge. The price of the bridge is 225 million US dollars. This bridge has the deepest foundation of the bridge in the whole world.
To cross the bridge, it is necessary to pay a toll of 1.85 euros, and this price will be valid until 2030. About 200.000 cars and about 160 trains cross the bridge every day. The height from the water to the upper platform of the bridge is 70 meters. There are two towers on the bridge, which are 190 meters high each. Apart from being the most important bridge for crossing the Tagus River, right after the Vasco da Gama Bridge, this bridge is also a great tourist attraction, so a large number of people take photos with a view of the bridge and from bridge itself, and it is often shown on postcards or as a souvenir.
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
Photo by Portuguese Gravity on Unsplash
