Our Lady of Guia Bridge

Category: Civil Architecture > Bridge

District: Viana do Castelo > Ponte de Lima > Ponte de Lima

Location:

The Nossa Senhora da Guia Bridge is located in Ponte de Lima, crossing the Lima River. This modern structure blends into the surrounding landscape of the municipality, connecting the riverbanks and marking an important crossing point in the local road network.

It is a work that, although more recent, coexists with the traditional environment of the town, offering a contemporary perspective on civil engineering in the region.

A Landmark in Portuguese Engineering:

Inaugurated in 1980, the Nossa Senhora da Guia Bridge stands out for a particular architectural and engineering feature: it was one of the first large-scale works in Portugal to be built using the method of incremental launching. This method, designed in 1973, represented a significant innovation for its time, allowing the construction of the bridge deck progressively, without the need for extensive shoring from the riverbed.

Its design and execution are a testament to the technical evolution in the construction of road infrastructures in the country, giving it particular value in the panorama of Portuguese civil engineering.

A Story of Technical Achievement:

The history of the Nossa Senhora da Guia Bridge includes a notable episode that reveals the complexity of its construction. Shortly before and after its opening to traffic in August 1980, situations were detected that led to the implementation of load restrictions for vehicles crossing it.

However, through exhaustive analysis and tests carried out at the time, it was possible to confirm the bridge's solidity and safe performance. These limitations were officially lifted in December 1983, validating the integrity of the structure and transforming this initial challenge into an example of national engineering's problem-solving capability and technical rigor.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt