Vasco da gama bridge
The bridge has a life expectancy more than 120 years, having been designed to withstand wind speeds of 250 km/h 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 value presently set for enlargement is when the average number of cars exceeds 52,000 per day and it is expected with the next 6 years. There are several things named after him in Lisbon including Vasco da Gama Bridge, Vasco da Gama Tower and a shopping centre. He is still largely hailed as a hero in his home country.
The opening of the bridge coincided with the opening of Expo 98 as floods of Spanish and European tourists traveled to Lisbon from the east of the city. Vasco da Gama changed the world for Europeans through his discovery of the route to India and has had many things named after him. Suggestions for a new bridge had been bounced around for decades but the distance to traverse, poor foundations and possibility of seismic activity had always pushed the construction costs beyond that of which the government could have the funds for. Lisbon has always been plagued with heavy traffic issues and during the mid-90’s traveling south out of Lisbon had become insupportable with the six lanes Ponte 25 de Abril simply unable to handle the volumes of commuters. The Vasco da Gama is surely not as charismatic as the Lisbon’s other bridge the golden arched Ponte 25 de Abril but its sheer size and ability just to stretch out into the horizon is an engineering marvel. 275,000 residents died and 85% of buildings were destroyed.Ponte Vasco da Gama bridge was well inaugurated on Maafter 18 months of day/night work construction, and just in time to carry visitors from southern Portugal, Spain, and other parts of Europe to Expo98. On November 1, 1755, an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale occurred, followed by a tsunami and fires that left the city in ruins. Recall that Lisbon was hit by one of the most powerful earthquakes in European history. The creators of the bridge claim that the structure will be able to withstand an earthquake up to four times stronger than the one that occurred in 1755.
The life span of the bridge is estimated at 120 years. The pillars used to strengthen the bridge can withstand winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. The Vasco da Gama Bridge, plunges 95 meters into the bedrock of the Tagus River its foundation piles are up to 2.2 meters in diameter. Expansion plans call for another reconstruction of the bridge when the daily number of cars crossing it reaches 52,000, which is expected to happen within the next few years. The bridge has 6 lanes, although the original design allowed for further expansion when more capacity was required. A private consortium, Lusoponte, agreed to build the bridge and thus, according to the contract, to have sole control of tolling on both Lisbon bridges for 40 years.ģ,300 workers were needed to build the bridge, and it took 18 months to complete. The government entrusted the construction, maintenance and toll collection to private companies that would be able to raise the required $1 billion for the bridge. The hosting of the Expo 98 world's fair forced the Lisbon authorities to build a second bridge and a way of financing was devised that would not cost Portuguese taxpayers a penny. This is not the first bridge to connect the north to the south of the country, there was already the April 25 Bridge, but it did not have enough traffic capacity, so an alternative Vasco da Gama Bridge was built.
The bridge was opened on Maand commemorates the 500th anniversary of the explorer's arrival in India (the year 1498). The bridge takes its name from the most important Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, who was the first European to reach India by sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The height of the bridge is 150 meters, its width is 31 meters, and its distance from the water surface is 45 meters. The bridge is 17,185 metres long, of which 829 metres is the length of the main span, 11.5 km is the length of the other strand spans and 4.8 km are access viaducts and junctions. The Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Europe, measuring over 17 km long and connecting the northern and southern parts of Portugal.