The Dom Luís I Bridge (), or Luís I Bridge, is a
double-deck metal
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...
that spans the river
Douro
The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...
between the cities of
Porto
Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
and
Vila Nova de Gaia
Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...
in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. At its construction, its span was the
longest of its type in the world. It can be confused with the nearby
Maria Pia Bridge, a railway bridge that was built 9 years earlier (and is located to the east), which is similar in aspect to the Luís I bridge.
Today, the bridge's upper level is used by pedestrians and by line D of the
Porto Metro, whilst the lower level is used by buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians. The lower level links to the Porto waterfront, including the
Praça da Ribeira
The Ribeira Square () is a historical square in Porto, Portugal. It is included in the historical centre of the city, designated World Heritage by UNESCO.
History
The square is located in the historical district of Ribeira (''riverside'' in P ...
and the lower station of the
Guindais Funicular, at its northern end, and to Gaia waterfront, with its
Port wine lodges, at its southern end. The upper level connects to Porto city centre and
São Bento station at its northern end, and adjoins the
Serra do Pilar Monastery and the upper station of the
Gaia Cable Car at its southern end.
History
Inception and construction
In 1879,
Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( , ; Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway net ...
presented a project to construct a new bridge over the Douro, with a high single deck in order to facilitate ship navigation.
This project was rejected due to dramatic growth of the urban population, which required a re-thinking of the limits of a single-deck platform.
[
A competition was initiated in November 1880, in order to construct a double-deck metal bridge, which included projects by Compagnie de Fives-Lille, Cail & C., Schneider & Co., Gustave Eiffel, Lecoq & Co., Société de Braine-le-Comte, Société des Batignolles (which submitted two ideas), Andrew Handyside & Co., Société de Construction de Willebroek (also two projects) and John Dixon.][ It was in January of the following year that deliberations by the committee supported the project of Société de Willebroek, a design that cost 369,000$00 réis and provided better carrying capacity.][ On 21 November 1881, the public work was awarded to the Belgian Société de Willebroek, from Brussels, for 402 contos. It was to be administered by Théophile Seyrig, the former partner of Gustave Eiffel and author of the project. Seyrig had also designed the Dona Maria bridge that was constructed by Eiffel & cie, hence the resemblance of his new bridge to the Dona Maria bridge.][ Construction began on the Ponte Luís I alongside the towers of an earlier suspension bridge, the , which was disassembled.][
By 26 May 1886, the first weight experiments began, with the transport of a per metre.][ On 30 October construction of the main arch and upper deck were concluded, resulting in its inauguration the very next day.][ On 1 November, a toll system began to operate under the administration of the winning company, that was equal to 4 reís per person.][ The following year the lower deck was inaugurated, completing the project. During its ceremonies, the bridge was blessed by Bishop D. Américo.][
File:Luis I bridge under construction (1881-1886).gif, A view of the initial construction of Dom Luís I Bridge from the river ]Douro
The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...
's mouth (1881–1886)
File:Ponte Pênsil e Luís I c. 1883. Emílio Biel.JPG, An 1883 view of Ponte Pênsil and Luís I, showing the construction of the archway
File:Le Douro (vue de VNG).jpg, A turn of the century perspective of the bridge, taken northward from Vila Nova de Gaia
Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...
20th and 21st centuries
By the turn of the century (1908) electric carriages were installed in the city centre, extending to the bridge.[
On 1 January 1944, the toll system was extinguished and the bridge began to function as free infrastructure of the municipal authority of Porto.][ Originally and for more than a century, the bridge carried road traffic on both decks. Along with other vehicles, electric trams crossed the upper deck from 1908][ until May 1959, and ]trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
es crossed both decks from May 1959 until 1993. By 1954, public works were initiated on the bridge under the direction of engineer Edgar Cardoso, who extended the decks and removed the electrification of the deck.[
In 1982, the bridge was designated a cultural heritage ''Imóvel de Interesse Público'' (''Property of Public Interest'') by national agency IGESPAR, the Portuguese ''Institute for the Management of Architectural and Archaeological Heritage''.]
On 27 June 2003, the upper deck was closed to motor traffic in order to adapt the structure for the metro system. Infante Dom Henrique Bridge, upriver, was completed three months earlier to provide an alternative vehicle connection between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. The new "D Line" was inaugurated on 18 September 2005, and opened to the metro trams
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
and pedestrian traffic.[ With more traffic and demographic growth, in March 2006, a project to enlarge the lower deck was elaborated by architect Virgínio Moutinho and engineers António and José António Campos e Matos.][ However, the municipal council of Porto asked the ''Direção-Geral do Património Cultural'' (''Directorate-General for Cultural Patrimony'') to avoid a decision on the project, as it was being rethought.][
The lower deck remained opened to general traffic until October 2021, when it closed temporarily to all traffic for the start of repairs and renovation work predicted to last about one year.] When it reopened, in April 2023, the lower deck was restricted to public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians.
Architecture
The bridge is situated in an isolated, urban area over the River Douro between the granite banks, where the Cathedral of Porto and the escarpment of the Serra do Pilar form a box valley. It is from the bridge of D. Maria Pia and, farther along, the Arrábida Bridge.[ On the Porto side, the lower deck connects the Cais da Ribeira and the upper ''Avenida Vímara Peres'', while the bank of Vila Nova de Gaia to the ''Avenida Diogo Leite'' and ''Avenida da República'', respectively. Access to the Porto side is located along the Pillars of Ponte Pênsil, while the Guindais Funicular, the Church and Shelter of Ferro, the Fernandina Walls and the Monastery of Serra do Pilar.][
The iron bridge has two decks, of differing heights and widths, between which develop a large diameter, central arch supporting these upper and lower decks.][ Both decks are moored to the riverbanks by means of masonry piers.][ Those in the upper deck, are rectangular with a trimmed cornice finish, consisting of two staggered registers separated by cornice and interlacing struts.][ The lower deck is based on large foundations supporting molded cornices and wedges linked together by a felled arch, and framed by interlacing beams.][ At the base of the arches, facing the riverbanks, are large marble plaques with inscriptions "PONTE LUIZ I", and on the upstream face are stones representing royal coat-of-arms, with a shield framed by garlands.][ At the base of the lower deck, are iron-pillared, pyramidal-truncated pillars, erected in three sections, that attach to the upper deck.][
The bridge has an asphalt pavement for vehicular traffic, separated by cast iron guards, that limit the pedestrian sidewalks, that develop laterally.][ The central arch emerges from the bollards at the foundations and decreasing thickness towards the center.][ The upper deck, also flanked by pedestrian walkways protected by cast iron guards (similar to the lower deck), was also asphalt-paved][ until converted to carry ]light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
trains of the Porto Metro in the mid-2000s. From this deck are lamps used for illumination, confronting and connected, forming decorative circles at the angles. Under the guard is cut-out-like lambrequin decorated with phytomorphic elements.[
]
References
Sources
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External links
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Dom Luís Bridge on en.Broer.no
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dom Luis Bridge, Porto
Deck arch bridges
Bridges completed in 1886
Bridges in Porto
Bridges in Vila Nova de Gaia
Bridges over the Douro River
Double-decker bridges
Road-rail bridges in Portugal
Arch bridges in Portugal
Properties of Public Interest in Portugal
Listed bridges in Portugal