The bridge was opened to traffic on March 29, 1998, 18 months after construction first began, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.
Description
The bridge carries six road lanes, with a speed limit of , the same as motorways, except on one section which is limited to . On windy, rainy and foggy days, the speed limit is reduced to . The number of road lanes will be enlarged to eight when traffic reaches a daily average of 52,000.Bridge sections
- North access roads
- North viaduct -
- Expo viaduct - ; 12 sections
- Main bridge - main span: ; side spans: each (total length: ); cement pillars: -high; free height for navigation in high tides: ;
- Central viaduct - ; 80 pre-fabricated sections -long; 81 pillars up to -deep; height from to
- South viaduct - ; sections; 84 sections; 85 pillars
- South access roads - ; includes the toll plaza (18 gates) and two service areas
Construction and cost
The project was split in four parts, each one built by a different company, and supervised by an independent consortium. There were up to 3,300 workers simultaneously on the project, which took 18 months of preparation and another 18 months of construction.The bridge has a life expectancy of 120 years, having been designed to withstand wind speeds of and hold up to an earthquake 4.5 times stronger than the historical 1755 Lisbon earthquake (estimated at 8.7 on the Richter scale). The deepest foundation piles, up to in diameter, were driven down to under mean sea level. Due to the bridge's length, it was necessary to take the Earth's curvature into account to site the piers correctly, otherwise a deviation of would be apparent at either end of the bridge. Environmental pressure throughout the project resulted in the left-bank viaducts being extended inland to preserve the marshes underneath, as well as the lamp posts throughout the bridge being tilted inwards so as not to cast light on the river below.
The cost of the bridge came at zero to the State, as it was built in the BOT (build-operate-transfer) system by Lusoponte, a private consortium which got a 40-year concession on the tolls of both Lisbon bridges. Lusoponte's capital is 50.4% from Portuguese companies, 24.8% French and 24.8% British.
As of 2008, the toll is €2.25 per passenger car (up to €10.10 per truck) northbound (into Lisbon). There is no toll for southbound traffic.
See also
MegaprojectSource
External links
- Portal das Nações Discover the Ponte Vasco da Gama
- BBC news story of bridge opening
- Bridge Pros profile
- Flickr photos of bridge
- Graphic and technical information Spanish
- What is a megaproject?
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday June 15, 2008 at 17:36:52 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
The bridge was opened to traffic on March 29, 1998, 18 months after construction first began, just in time for Expo 98, the World's Fair that celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by Vasco da Gama of the sea route from Europe to India.
Description
The bridge carries six road lanes, with a speed limit of , the same as motorways, except on one section which is limited to . On windy, rainy and foggy days, the speed limit is reduced to . The number of road lanes will be enlarged to eight when traffic reaches a daily average of 52,000.Bridge sections
- North access roads
- North viaduct -
- Expo viaduct - ; 12 sections
- Main bridge - main span: ; side spans: each (total length: ); cement pillars: -high; free height for navigation in high tides: ;
- Central viaduct - ; 80 pre-fabricated sections -long; 81 pillars up to -deep; height from to
- South viaduct - ; sections; 84 sections; 85 pillars
- South access roads - ; includes the toll plaza (18 gates) and two service areas
Construction and cost
The project was split in four parts, each one built by a different company, and supervised by an independent consortium. There were up to 3,300 workers simultaneously on the project, which took 18 months of preparation and another 18 months of construction.The bridge has a life expectancy of 120 years, having been designed to withstand wind speeds of and hold up to an earthquake 4.5 times stronger than the historical 1755 Lisbon earthquake (estimated at 8.7 on the Richter scale). The deepest foundation piles, up to in diameter, were driven down to under mean sea level. Due to the bridge's length, it was necessary to take the Earth's curvature into account to site the piers correctly, otherwise a deviation of would be apparent at either end of the bridge. Environmental pressure throughout the project resulted in the left-bank viaducts being extended inland to preserve the marshes underneath, as well as the lamp posts throughout the bridge being tilted inwards so as not to cast light on the river below.
The cost of the bridge came at zero to the State, as it was built in the BOT (build-operate-transfer) system by Lusoponte, a private consortium which got a 40-year concession on the tolls of both Lisbon bridges. Lusoponte's capital is 50.4% from Portuguese companies, 24.8% French and 24.8% British.
As of 2008, the toll is €2.25 per passenger car (up to €10.10 per truck) northbound (into Lisbon). There is no toll for southbound traffic.
See also
MegaprojectSource
External links
- Portal das Nações Discover the Ponte Vasco da Gama
- BBC news story of bridge opening
- Bridge Pros profile
- Flickr photos of bridge
- Graphic and technical information Spanish
- What is a megaproject?
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday June 15, 2008 at 17:36:52 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.