Ponte Vasco da Gama

Ponte Vasco da Gama
The organization of the last world fair of the millenium gave impulse to the urban transformation of Lisbon through the construction of great substructures, such as the Ponte Vasco da Gama.

The application for the Portuguese Expo was accompanied by what can be called a «peripheric and aquatic» option as to its localization, and two alternative hypothesis were put forward: to the east or to the west of the city´s modern area.

The most dramatic deficits in terms of substructures, lodging and environment were accumulated in the eastern zone, on both sides of the river Tagus, precisely the place chosen for the fair, and the need for its recovery was explicitly argued.

The zone's renewal having been planned, it was essential to improve the access routes to and from the city.

The most significant operation in this sense was the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, which links Lisbon to the adjacent peninsula´s neighbourhoods.

The work made the access to Lisbon easier; before, it was made through a bridge too far away from the center, thus forcing people to take a longer route.

In terms of structure, the bridge is formed, first, by pillars from which the metal cables that hold the parts closer to land are suspended.

The central section is formed by a platform standing on pillars, with no other additional support.

Quoted from Atlas de Arquitectura Actual, by Francisco Asensio Cerver (Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft, Colónia)