Anyone visiting the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, soon sees one of its biggest landmarks: the 25 de Abril Bridge, which connects the city of Lisbon to the north with Almada to the south. It celebrated half a century of life in 2016 and today, in addition to being one of the postcards of Lisbon and also of Portugal, it is used by thousands of people to travel, whether by car, bus or train, which runs on the lower level. of the work. Currently, more than 150,000 people pass through the bridge a day.
Find out a little more about this symbol of Portugal, in the seven interesting facts below, after all, the Portuguese capital is known for being the city of seven hills.
1 - Work on the construction of the bridge began in 1962 and the work was completed and inaugurated four years later, in 1966.
two - Initially, the bridge was named Ponte Salazar, in honor of Antônio de Oliveira Salazar, the dictator who ruled Portugal at the time. Later, during the Revolution of April 25, 1974, the bridge was renamed with the name we know today.
3 – The first car that crossed the bridge was a Austin Seven green. In the following hours, another 50,000 cars crossed the bridge.
4 – The 25 de Abril Bridge is 70m high from the water, and its highest point is 190m! In total, it measures around 2.2 km. It is a road-rail suspension bridge. This means that the bridge has a runway for motor vehicles and also a train deck, just below, that crosses the river.
5 – It is said that the Golden Gate Bridge, in San Francisco (USA) is the twin sister of our bridge. What they have in common is their appearance: they are two suspension bridges, and they have a very beautiful red color.
6 – Its construction cost around 11 million euros (not bad for the time) and 3,000 daily workers were involved in the project.
7 – It was voted the most beautiful bridge in Europe in 2014 by European Best Destination. We already knew this, but it's always good when neighbors admire what's ours.
When you come to Lisbon, be sure to cross this bridge to have a beautiful view of the city. It's so worth it!