Today a very special anniversary is celebrated in Lisbon , an anniversary that commemorates the birth of the symbol of the city. It is the Vasco da Gama Bridge , which was born on this day in 1998, that is, it is 25 years old. Since its construction, it has become the symbol of the city, being one of the great achievements of the Expo that was held that year in the capital.
This spectacular and famous bridge is 17 kilometers long , 10 of them over the Mar de la Paja, at the mouth of the Tagus River, while the remaining 7 are over land. It was built to be an alternative to the chaotic traffic that arose every day on the April 25 Bridge, although it is clear that it was also a great advance for the city to become a modern city.
Curiosities
Many curiosities surround the Vasco da Gama Bridge, such as that being so long it cannot be totally straight or that it is capable of withstanding an earthquake four times bigger than the one that struck the city in 1755, in addition to winds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour. . The bridge is divided into four parts, and its construction used 100 tons of steel , 730,000 cubic meters of concrete and 150 precast girders.
More than 3,000 people worked on its construction, and 11 of them lost their lives, of which 6 died when falling from a height of 45 meters. On the bridge there is a plaque that commemorates those deaths. There are 6 lanes for traffic, and to cross it you have to pay a toll , although it is definitely worth it since you save all the traffic jam that there is in other areas. Not only is crossing this bridge fantastic, but just looking at it is spectacular. More than a bridge, a monument.