Vasco da Gama Bridge
Vasco da Gama Bridge | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of the bridge | |
| Coordinates | 38°45′43″N 9°02′35″W / 38.762°N 9.043°W |
| Carries | Six road lanes of IP 1 A 12 |
| Crosses | Tagus River |
| Locale | |
| Official name | Ponte Vasco da Gama |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Maintained by | Lusoponte (1994–2030) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed, viaducts |
| Total length | 17.2 km (10.7 mi) |
| Width | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Height | 148 m (486 ft) (pylon) |
| Longest span | 420 m (1,380 ft) |
| History | |
| Architect | Michel Virlogeux, Alain Montois, Charles Lavigne and Armando Rito |
| Designer | Armando Rito |
| Construction start | February 1995 |
| Construction end | March 1998 |
| Opened | 29 March 1998 |
| Statistics | |
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| Location | |
The Vasco da Gama Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Vasco da Gama) is a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts that spans the Tagus River in Parque das Nações in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
It is the second longest bridge in Europe, after the Crimean Bridge, and the longest one in the European Union. It was built to alleviate the congestion on Lisbon's 25 de Abril Bridge, and eliminate the need for traffic between the country's northern and southern regions to pass through the capital city.
Construction began in February 1995; the bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.
Along with the 25 de Abril Bridge, the Vasco da Gama is one of two bridges that span the Tagus River in Lisbon.