Facts and history of the Ponte 25 de Abril

Around 140,000 vehicles cross the Ponte 25 de Abril every day. Over more than half a century, it has been held up as a sign of national progress, associated with the former regime, and later linked to the April Revolution.

Yet, more than anything else, it has always been-and remains-the vital connection between the two banks of the River Tagus. It is widely regarded as one of Portugal’s most significant public works.

A national link across the River Tagus

The idea of building a bridge over the River Tagus had been on the Portuguese Government’s agenda for a long time. However, it was only in the 1950s that the plan began to move forward in practical terms.

History and construction of the Ponte 25 de Abril

In 1958, engineer José Estevão Canto Moniz-who would later become Minister for Communications-launched an international public tender. The contract was awarded in 1960 to the American company United States Steel Export Company, some 25 years after it had sent Portugal its first proposal for a suspension bridge over the River Tagus.

Construction began in 1962 and was completed four years later.

Facts and figures of the Ponte 25 de Abril

• 1st CAR - The first private car to cross the bridge was a green Austin Seven with the registration DC–72–48. In the first ten hours, a further 50,000 cars followed, carrying around 200,000 people in total.

• 2 RAILWAY DECKS - The Ponte 25 de Abril has two railway decks, inaugurated in 1999.

• 6 ROAD LANES - The bridge deck originally provided four road lanes. However, the initial designs allowed for the roadway to be expanded to six lanes if traffic increased-exactly the situation today.

• 150,000 - On average, 150,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day.

• 19 MILLION - Using rail services alone, 19 million people travel across the bridge deck each year.

• 2280 m IN LENGTH - This is the bridge’s maximum length between the two banks.

• 70 m IN HEIGHT - Measured from the bridge deck down to the surface of the River Tagus, there is 70 m of clearance.

• 79,3 m IN DEPTH - From the River Tagus surface to the base of the bridge foundations, the depth is almost 80 m. The entire structure is earthquake-resistant.

• 190 m IN HEIGHT - From the waterline to the top of the bridge pylons, the height is 190 m. This makes it the second-tallest structure in Portugal and one of the tallest bridges in Europe, alongside the Millau Viaduct in France.

• 58,6 cm DIAMETER OF EACH MAIN CABLE - This is the diameter of the cables that suspend the bridge deck.

• 11 248 STEEL WIRES WITH 4,87 mm DIAMETER IN EACH CABLE - Altogether, that amounts to 54 196 km of steel wire. That is a lot of cable, isn’t it? These cables are among the elements that help safeguard the bridge in the event of an earthquake.

• 263 000 m³ of concrete - The volume of concrete used to fill the foundations and approaches to the bridge.

• 72 600 TONNES OF STEEL - The mass of the Ponte 25 de Abril’s metal structure.

• 5th LARGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN THE WORLD - The scale of the Ponte 25 de Abril is reflected in the fact that, at the time it opened, it was the fifth-largest suspension bridge in the world and the largest outside the United States. Today (editor’s note: year 2022), it stands in 56th place worldwide.

• 2.2 MILLION CONTOS - At the time it was built, the cost was around two million and two hundred thousand contos, which-without inflation adjustments-equates to roughly €11 million. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would now be more than €955 million.