Porto, Oct. 10, 2024 (Lusa) - The upper deck of the new road-rail bridge over the Douro between Porto and Gaia, which was unveiled on Thursday, will have "an elevation very similar to that of the São João bridge deck", and the lower deck will be made of metal, according to Lusa.
The image of the new road-rail bridge that will link the high-speed line between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia (district of Porto) was presented today in Lisbon, at the award ceremony for the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the Lisbon-Porto high-speed line, to the LusoLav consortium (Mota-Engil, Teixeira Duarte, Casais, Alves Ribeiro, Conduril and Construções Gabriel A.S. Couto).
According to the jury report for the public tender, to which Lusa had access, "the upper deck in a reinforced concrete box girder" has "an elevation very similar to that of the deck of the São João bridge, located immediately downstream from the bridge".
The lower deck, dedicated to road, cycle and pedestrian traffic, "was designed in a metal structure, reducing its weight and enhancing the transparency between decks".
The upper deck, for high-speed rail, will be 1,181.5 metres long, and the lower deck, for road, cycle and pedestrian traffic, will be 677.5 metres long.
"The railway deck, which crosses the entire valley where the bridge is located, is supported by the main bridge, with a total span of 885 metres, and by two access viaducts, one to the south (Mafamude Viaduct), 129.5 metres long, and the other to the north (Campanhã Viaduct), 166.5 metres long," the document states.
Joining the two decks will be "three A-shaped towers, which support the upper deck and suspend the lower deck.”
"Although this type of "A" tower is the most commonly used solution in cable-stayed bridges, it still creates a feeling of a large entrance/exit to the city for its users," the document reads.
According to the jury, "the solution of the proposed bridge, although it stands out from the existing bridges over the River Douro, integrates perfectly into its context".
The new bridge is located around 250 metres upstream from the São João bridge and "invokes the principle of similarity" while also engaging in dialogue with the Freixo bridge, which is around a kilometre away.
"The solution adopted for the railway component of the bridge - which is the most striking from a visual point of view, in a white reinforced concrete portico - is the typology that best fits in with the existing surroundings," said the jury.
The first phase (Porto - Soure) of the high-speed line in Portugal is due to be ready in 2030, with the second phase (Soure - Carregado) due to be completed in 2032, with a connection to Lisbon via the Northern Line.
The connection from Porto to Vigo, in Galicia (Spain), scheduled for 2032, will have stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valença (Viana do Castelo district).
In total, according to the previous government, the investment costs for the Lisbon-Valença lines are around €7-8 billion.
JE/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
