Portugal's 25 de Abril Bridge marks 60th anniversary

The 25 de Abril Bridge, originally inaugurated as the Ponte Salazar on 6 August 1966, celebrated its 60th anniversary on 6 August 2026. The suspension bridge spans the Tagus River, linking Lisbon and Almada, with a main span of 1,013 m and towers rising 196 m above the water. It remains Portugal’s busiest crossing, handling over 150 000 vehicles daily and more than 300 000 people across road and rail each day.

To mark the milestone, Infraestruturas de Portugal, Lusoponte and Fertagus staged a drone light show of about 500 three‑dimensional drones at midnight, visible from the Cristo Rei viewpoint and the Lisbon waterfront. The display highlighted the bridge’s construction, evolution and role in Portuguese life.

The bridge’s construction involved roughly 3 000 workers, 14 engineering firms and tens of thousands of tonnes of steel, and was accompanied by the displacement of thousands of residents from the Alcântara valley. Since its opening, traffic has grown steadily, reaching a record of 57 million vehicles in 2005, with a temporary dip during the COVID‑19 pandemic.