Lisbon, Aug. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - Maintenance and inspection of Lisbon's 25 Abril Bridge, which on Thursday celebrates its 60th anniversary, costs the Portuguese infrastructure manager, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), an average of around €1.6 million a year, ensuring "the highest safety standards".
The 25 Abril Bridge, which links Lisbon to Almada, «is subject to ongoing inspection and maintenance», IP confirmed in a response to the Lusa news agency, adding that there is «an in-house team dedicated exclusively» to these tasks.
«These activities represent an average annual investment of around €1,6 million, covering inspections, maintenance, consumables and equipment, as well as studies, projects and consultancy services,» said the public company responsible for managing the road and rail networks.
Opened on 6 August 1966, this suspension bridge is an international landmark of engineering, with a deck over two kilometres (km) long, 74,196 km of steel cable and 72,600 tonnes of steel used in its construction.
Its main towers rise 196 metres above water level and the southern pier extends to a depth of 80 metres below water level.
For its maintenance, IP also relies on the support of specialist organisations, such as the ISQ – the Institute of Welding and Quality – and LNEC – the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, which is responsible for the structural monitoring of the bridge, «including monitoring the overall behaviour of the structure, geodetic monitoring and the implementation of instrumentation plans, amongst other specialist work aimed at verifying the behaviour of the infrastructure in operation against the criteria adopted in its design».
The bridge's original designer, the US firm Parsons, also continues to monitor the structure's behaviour and the main works carried out on it, in coordination with IP, the organisation noted.
The most recent rehabilitation and structural reinforcement works were completed in March 2024 and studies are currently underway for general repainting, to «ensure the preservation and durability of the bridge», IP revealed.
In September 2025, Bruno Mascarenhas, a Chega councillor in Lisbon, stated at a Municipal Assembly meeting that the bridge «is in a worrying state in terms of its structural integrity».
When questioned by Lusa, IP assured that the inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities carried out «ensure that the bridge continues to meet the highest standards of safety, reliability and performance, preserving an iconic piece of infrastructure which, every day, enables hundreds of thousands of people to cross the River Tagus».
Currently, according to IP, the bridge is used daily by around 150,000 vehicles and 174 trains, serving, across its road and rail functions, more than 100 million users in a year.
In addition to this bridge, a second bridge over the Tagus in Lisbon, the Vasco da Gama Bridge, was opened in 1998; plans are currently in place to build a new road-rail crossing between Chelas and Barreiro and a road link between Algés and Trafaria.
Regarding the third Tagus crossing, IP stated that it is «currently carrying out, at the Government's request, technical, economic and environmental studies necessary to implement the project for the new road-rail crossing», with the Environmental Impact Assessment expected to be submitted to the Portuguese Environment Agency during the third quarter of this year, that is, by September.
According to IP, the road link between Algés and Trafaria is identified as a «priority project» by the current Government, and it is estimated that the tender for the Preliminary Study and Environmental Impact Assessment will be launched by the end of the year.
To mark the 60 years since the 25 Abril Bridge was built, the Lusa news agency requested an interview with IP, as well as a visit to the bridge, but received only a written response.
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Lusa
