"Tagus River Bridge" Lisbon Things to Do Tip by al_mary

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The Tagus River Bridge
was built by the American
Bridge Company and
completed in 1966, after
four years of construction,
for $32 million.

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It was originally named Salazar Bridge, after the then
Prime Minister/dictator of Portugal, Antonio de Oliveira
Salazar, but, after the Carnation Revolution, in 1974,
the bridge was renamed the 25 April Bridge, or in
Portuguese: Ponte 25 de Abril, the day when the
revolution occurred. In an emblematic picture of the
revolution, captured in video, some people removed
the letters saying "Salazar" and painted "25 April",
instead of it.

It enbodies an important railroad line connecting
Lisbon to the south, this line opened in 1999.

At the time of its completion it was the longest
suspended span in Europe, had the longest
main span in Continental Europe, was the world's
longest continuous truss, and had the world's
deepest bridge foundation at 82 meters.

It is often compared to the Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco, USA and was constructed under
North American management.

The American Society of Civil Engineers says that
"Like its sister bridge, the Golden Gate in San Francisco,
the Tagus River Bridge is located in an area with a long
history of earthquakes" and seismic data had to be taken
into account in its construction.