This has been built on the river Tagus, close to Portugal’s capital – Lisbon. The traffic was heavy here and people were suffering from traveling from one place to another one.

The length of the Vasco da Gama Bridge is about 17 kilometers and it is the 9th longest bridge in the world. It took only about three years to complete the bridge. Cable-stayed and viaducts technologies have been used to construct this bridge. Normally, it would take about twenty minutes to cross the bridge and it would surely be a pleasant experience for all the travellers.

The bridge was opened to public service in 1998 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the invention of the route from Europe to India. By the way, Vasco da Gama was one of the most successful Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.

Special aspect of this bridge is that it has been built within 18 months with over three thousand workers and should survive for at least 120 years. A 40 years long contract has been given to a private company to take care of the cost so the government didn’t have to spend money for the project. Though only six lanes are available at present, there is enough space to convert it into eight lanes bridge, when it is required.

If you are Technical Monuments lover, and already visited Paris with Eiffel Tower, now you should go more to the south and try driving across this technical gem.

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Portugal is the westernmost country in Europe, lies at the Iberian Peninsula in the subtropical zone. North and center of the country is very mountainous, forested and there are a number of rivers. This area is used mainly for mountain tourism. Generally, the northern climate is mild in winter and rains a lot here which keep the temperature almost the same throughout the year. For the Alentejo region, forming the middle part of Portugal, is characterized by hot, dry summers alternating with quiet winter. But the most popular tourist destination in Portugal is the south – Algarve region. Arab monuments are located here from the time of colonization. This part offers stunning scenery, beautiful beaches and warm climate. The country has the islands of the Azores and Madeira, which lies in the Atlantic west coast. Lisbon is the capital city, located on the west coast at the mouth of the River Tagus. Thanks to its location it is a major Portuguese port.

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