Ponte 25 de Abril

Reminiscent of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Ponte 25 de Abril is the world’s 17th largest suspension bridge and connects Lisbon to everything south of the Tagus River. When it was originally constructed in 1966, the bridge was the third largest of its kind, spanning 2,277 metres with six car lanes on the upper platform and dual two-way train tracks on the bottom platform. Built by the American Bridge Company and 11 local companies, steel was imported from the US and the project, which involved 3,000 workers, was completed in less than 4 years. The bridge was originally named Ponte Salazar after the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, but was renamed Ponte 25 Abril the day after the 1974 revolution. Today the bridge toll is run by a private concession, with only northbound traffic paying the toll, and it is free of charge during August.