Vasco da Gama Bridge to Stay Undergoing Works Until November

Lusoponte, the company in charge of operating and maintaining the Vasco da Gama Bridge, has confirmed in a recently issued statement that works on the Tejo crossing will continue at least until November.

In the same note, Lusoponte says the intervention “follows an accident involving a coach that was completely destroyed by fire on the bridge deck in June 2021, and which caused only material damage to the protection of four stay cables, which are now being replaced”.

Even though the job is complex and requires a site compound to be set up on location (in the right-hand lane in the north-to-south direction), all six traffic lanes will remain open.

Narrower lanes and a lower speed limit on the Vasco da Gama Bridge

To keep six lanes available on the Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lusoponte has had to reduce the width of the carriageway lanes.

Because of this narrowing, and in order to protect everyone working on the maintenance scheme, the maximum speed through the affected section will be restricted to 60 km/h.

Speaking to TSF about this change, Lusoponte’s communications director, Teresa Oliveira, stressed the need for drivers to respect the new limit in that area, stating: “Esse limite não é uma questão de somenos, é mesmo porque é estritamente necessário para a segurança, quer dos trabalhos, quer dos condutores que vão ali passar”.

Possible full or partial closures for surveys

As well as the lower speed limit and the reduced lane width, Lusoponte also announced that “there will also be a need for the total or partial closure of the Bridge for topographic checks”. However, no dates have yet been confirmed for these traffic cuts.