25 de Abril Bridge
| Ponte 25 de Abril (Until 1974, Ponte Salazar) |
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View from Cristo-Rei (south bank)
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| Coordinates | 38°41′24″N 9°10′37″W / 38.690066°N 9.177017°WCoordinates: 38°41′24″N 9°10′37″W / 38.690066°N 9.177017°W |
| Carries | Six road lanes of IP 7 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, Ponte Sobre o Tejo |
| Maintained by | Lusoponte [1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension |
| Total length | 2.27764 kilometres (1.41526 mi) |
| Longest span | 1,012.88 m |
| Clearance below | 70 m at mean higher high water |
| History | |
| Opened | 6 August 1966 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 150,000 cars 157 trains |
| Toll | 1.65 € (northbound, Mar 2014) |
The 25 de Abril Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril, 25th of April Bridge, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpõt(ɨ) ˈvĩt i ˈsĩku ðɨ ɐˈβɾiɫ]) 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 was inaugurated on August 6, 1966, and a train platform was added in 1999. Because it is a suspension bridge and has similar coloring, it is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US. It was built by the American Bridge Company which constructed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, but not the Golden Gate. With a total length of 2,277 m, it is the 27th largest suspension bridge in the world. The upper deck carries six car lanes, while the lower deck carries two train tracks electrified at 25 kV AC. Until 1974, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge. The name "25 de Abril" commemorates the Carnation Revolution.
From the late 19th century, there had been proposals to build a bridge for Lisbon. In 1929, the idea advanced as a Portuguese engineer and entrepreneur, António Bello requested a Government concession for a railway crossing between Lisbon and Montijo (where the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the second bridge serving Lisbon, was later built in 1998). As a result, the Minister of Public Works, Duarte Pacheco, created a commission in 1933 to analyse the request. The commission reported in 1934, and proposed building a road and rail bridge. Bids were obtained. However, this proposal was subsequently put aside in favour of a bridge crossing the river at Vila Franca de Xira, 35 km north of Lisbon.
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