The A9 (CREL / ''Lisbon Regional Outer Circular'') is a Portuguese
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
which, as the name indicates, forms a partial outer circular route beyond the north and western parts of the
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
conurbation. It thereby links the
Estoril
Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has host ...
coastal area with principal highways towards the north of the country.
Route description
The road begins near to the
National Stadium of Jamor and sets off in an approximately east-north-easterly direction, intersecting along the way with major regional roads ( IC19, A16, IC22 ) as well as two national motorways, the
A8 and the
A10. It passes
Queluz in the edge of
Sintra
Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...
, then through the
Amadora
Amadora () is a municipality and urbanized city in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central Lisbon. The population in 2011 was 175,136, in an area of 23.78 km² (9.2 sq mi). It is the most densely populated mun ...
,
Odivelas
Odivelas ( or ) is a city and a municipality in Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal, in the Lisbon District and the historical and cultural Estremadura Province. The municipality is located 10 km northwest of Lisbon. The present Mayor is Hugo ...
and
Loures
Loures () is a city and a municipality in Portugal which is part of the Lisbon District, District and Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Metropolitan area of Lisbon. It is the fifth most populous municipality in the country, with a total population of 201, ...
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
before ending after at an intersection with
the country's principal northbound highway, the
A1.
Despite running for its entire length within of central Lisbon, much of the route of the A9 is semi-urban or rural, incorporating mountainous regions that necessitated the inclusion of 15 viaducts and two substantial tunnels in its construction. It therefore is a very hilly road, with several tight turns along its way.
History
The most westerly of the A9 were opened in 1994, with the remaining opening in September 1995. There was an idea to extend the westerly portion of the ring highway southwards across an additional bridge, but extending the A9 in this way appears not to have evolved beyond the status of an ambitious line on the map, and
a second major highway bridge crossing the Tagus to the east of Lisbon has been constructed in the interim. The A9 is operated by Portugal's principal highway operator
Brisa. When opened, it was toll motorway, but tolls were abolished in December 1995 by the government of
António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
. In January 2003 the government of
José Manuel Durão Barroso
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
re-introduced tolls, a decision which was controversial. the charge for a passenger car to travel the full from one end of the road to the other is €2.95.
January 2010
In the middle of the afternoon on 24 January 2010, near
Belas, next to the junction with the newly opened the
A16 a violent landslip deposited a large quantity of rocks and mud on the road. There is no record of any resulting road accident, but for more than a month the road was unusable and traffic had to be diverted, leading to serious congestion. Repairs were completed and the road fully repaired in time for it to be reopened on 25 February 2010.
External links
The A9 on Google StreetView
{{DEFAULTSORT:A09 Motorway (Portugal)
Motorways in Portugal