Arrábida Bridge over the Douro River, which connects Porto and Gaia
The new pedestrian and cycle crossing between Porto and Gaia should be built approximately 350 meters from the Luís I Bridge. The planned investment for the project is 25 million euros.
The mayors of Porto and Gaia, Pedro Duarte and Luís Filipe Menezesannounced this Tuesday the construction of a new bridge over the Douro River and signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to launching a competition for its design and construction.
“It could become an icon with the capacity to project the region and reinforce its visibility”, Luís Filipe Menezes told journalists.
According to , the mayors consider that the project will represent a physical and symbolic link between the two municipalities. The bridge, intended for pedestrians and cyclists, will be another link between the two cities and has not yet been named.
“The objective is reinforce the means of smooth mobilitynamely pedestrian and cycling routes, also contributing to reducing the pressure on car traffic between the two municipalities”, he stated Bento Airespresident of the Order of Engineers – Northern Region.
The director, who will chair the competition panel to be launched by the end of this year, said that the new bridge will have 250 meters long. Its definitive location will only be known after the procedure is completed, with professionals being given some “leeway for maneuver” within the area delimited on both margins.
According to , the mayors intend to launch the competition by the end of this year and complete the work by 2029. Pedro Duarte recognized, however, that there are administrative and legal procedures to be followed, the deadlines of which do not depend exclusively on local authorities.
The project is divided into two phases. The launch of the competition has already been formalized through prior qualification, corresponding to the first stage, during which candidates will be selected. Only in the second phase will those chosen be able to present their respective proposals.
Over the years, several projects were presented for the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the river, but none came to fruition.
