Never 2 without 3 ? Lisbon would have a third bridge, after those of April 25 and Vasco de Gama become saturated. Indeed, the Portuguese Socialist Party decided to dust off and update an old project of the Socrates government, which had to be buried because of the financial crisis. This third bridge will cross the Tagus to unclog the 2 others, and it will connect the area of Chelas to that of Barreiro. This project is back on the table with 100 more in the framework of the Portuguese mobility program 2030. The different political parties seem to agree on the need for a new bridge for Lisbon but seem not to agree on the type of bridge to build : car, train or both. The cost of the project is also grinding teeth. What are the details of this third bridge for Lisbon ? When is it planned ? Will it really be ? Lisbob, the assistant of the Expats in Portugal, tells you all about this third and new bridge of the Portuguese capital.
There will be a new bridge between Chelas and Barreiro in 2039
A list of 100 projects of the Portuguese Socialist Party
This is only one of the 100 projects of the Portuguese Socialist Party registered in the National Investment Program (PNI) Portugal 2030. But it is perhaps the most ambitious project. Indeed, a new bridge is envisaged to cross the Tagus. This third passage of the estuary is also a priority for the 2030 horizon for the Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party.
However, the two parties to the left of the PS do not agree on the type of bridge to build. Indeed, the PCP maintains that the future bridge should be like the bridge of April 25, that is to say rail-road to let cars and trains circulate. On the other hand, the left-wing bloc says that the bridge should be exclusively rail because of the cost. The proposal of the PS parliamentary group does not mention the type of traffic that should be directed to the bridge.
The other 2 bridges already saturated
The bridges 25 of Abril and Vasco de Gama, which allow the crossing between the south bank of the Tagus and Lisbon, are saturated and already insufficient for the traffic at the peak hours. In the morning, the bridges are saturated, and the summer of April 25 becomes a nightmare to reach the beaches.
This third bridge project for the Portuguese capital is not new. Already in 2009, under the governance of José Sócrates, Portugal had launched a call for tenders for the construction of an exclusively railway bridge, providing the high-speed link between Lisbon and Poceirão. The competition was canceled, and this decision justified by "the significant and progressive deterioration of the economic and financial situation of Portugal".
Many announcements in this election year
This announcement of the return of the third bridge of Lisbon comes after several announcements all more spectacular than the others. Indeed, if we believe all the current projects, the Portuguese capital should be equipped with a new airport, a new metro line, a new exhibition center, the return of the funfair, as well as a new Praça Martim Moniz.
This might be the new bridge in 2030
But before to get excited about all of this, don’t forget to remember that 2019 is an election year in Portugal, so each party goes for its announcements and promises all more spectacular than the others. We will remember at random the amateurism regarding :
- The renovation of the station Arroios (company that realizes that it cannot finally do the work),
- The fantastic work place Martim Moniz (emptied just before the good-days, then stopped works to decide what to do),
- Or the mistakes concerning the extension of the Lisbon metro (new line useless, then canceled).
