1886 Luis I Bridge over Douro River between Porto and Gaia, Portugal

(Satellite, 350,676 photos!!!)

Street View, Mar 2023

Highway Engineering Discoveries posted
Portugal
Rami Al-Chokhachi: The bridge from Porto to Gaia. I’ve crossed it many times. Beautiful view from the bridge down to the river front on both sides.
Highway Engineering Discoveries posted again with the same comment

shichor
"The imperious, double-decker metal spans of Ponte de Dom Luís I stretch across the Douro River from Porto to Villa Nova de Gaia, and were designed by Téophile Seyrig, the student of Gustave Eiffel who also drew up the plans for the nearby Donna Maria Pia Bridge. When the Dom Luís I was finished in 1886, it was the longest single-span bridge in the world at 564 feet [172m], and it supported 3,045 tons of steel in weight. The bridge marked a significant step forward in Porto’s economic growth, as before it existed, the only passages across the river were boats lashed together. Today the lower deck of the bridge carries cars while the upper level is utilized by metro Line D and has a pedestrian walkway offering views across the river."
(But this source, and others, say the Dom Luis I Bridge replaced a previous bridge.)

 

ulysses, this webpage has more photos
"Built in 1806, this first version of the bridge, nicknamed 'Bridge of the Boats', consisted of 20 boats linked together, and which could be separated to make way for boats sailing on the Douro River (just like one of the earlier versions of the Rialto Bridge in Venice)." This bridge was destroyed in 1809 during the second Napoleonic invasion of Portugal. "Rebuilt after the tragedy, the bridge was later replaced by the Dona Maria II Bridge, a suspension bridge built in 1843, and then again by the Dom Luís I Bridge, which still stands today."

 

BridgeInfo, 1 of 5 photos
"The bridge was designed by Téophile Seyrig who previously worked for Gustave Eiffel. Gustave Eiffel designed Maria Pia bridge which is also in Porto.
Construction of Luís I bridge started in 1881 and the bridge was opened in 1886. When the bridge opened with a span of 172 meters [564'], it was the largest arch bridge in the world until 1898.
In the upper deck runs Metro do Porto tram and in the lower deck is traffic."
The total length is 385m (1263'), and the height is 45m (148').

Actually, the height is 44.6m (146'). [travel, but the opening year of 1876 on that webpage is a typo. And it also specifies a height of 60m (190'). That seems to be self-contradictory.]

PortugalGetaways, this webpage has many photos

TripAdvisor has 17,369 photos.

Street View, Jul 2014

Randy Perkinson posted two photos with the comment:

These are several photos I took late last year in Porto, Portugual of the Ponte de Dom Luis I Bridge over Rio Douro.  Construction of the bridge was completed in October of 1886.

The upper deck carries light rail trains and pedestrians while the suspended lower deck, which was undergoing restoration, is for pedestrians only.

Per Wikipedia, the work was adminstered by Theophile Seyrig, who was a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.

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