Bridges, Porto

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This is Oporto's landmark, often depicted in labels of port wine. This unique bridge connecting the very heart of Oporto with the center of Vila Nova de Gaia is probably the only one in the world with two decks at very different levels. It gives the idea of the Douro valley containing Oporto's and Gaia's centers as a three-dimensional old city.

The lower deck, almost at river level, connects the lower area of Oporto's Ribeira with the lower area of Vila Nova de Gaia, close to most of the port wine cellars and warehouses.
The upper deck is very high and connects the upper area close to São Bento train station with the upper area of Gaia.
The brigde was projected by Teófilo Seyrig like the sister D. Maria bridge aside, but while D. Maria bridge was built by Eiffel's company, D. Luis bridge was built by a Belgian company: Société de Willebroeck.

The upper deck is currently being used by a metro line. Pedestrians can also walk through both decks

This is the most westerly bridge linking Oporto with Vila Nova de Gaia. It's occupied by a motorway linking Oporto's ring road with the A1 motorway to Lisbon, though the western side.

When it was built in 1963, had the largest bridge arch in the world. It's quite high and scenic. The author of the bridge was the engineer Edgar Cardoso, the same that later built the also record breaking São João bridge.

It's close to the coast, seen in the picture.

The upper deck of Dom Luis bridge was once occupied by a narrow road saturated with cars and buses. Nowadays it's closed for car traffic. It is used by the metro line D, linking Oporto with Gaia.
The metro comes to the surface from a tunnel at the edge of the bridge in Oporto's side, and becomes a sort of surface tram line, through the bridge and beyond through Gaia.
Pedestrians can walk through the upper deck of the bridge and cross the metro rails. The carriages pass quite slowly, just like trams.

As the upper deck of the D. Luis bridge was banned for car traffic, a new high and wider bridge was recently built for car and pedestrianized traffic: The Infante bridge.

It links the deprived Fontainhas quarter of Oporto with a high area of Gaia.

As being normal in Oporto's bridges, this bridge also breaks world records for its type.
The engineer in charge of its conception was António Fonseca.

The bridge was named after Prince Henry the Navigator who was born in Oporto. Infante is short for Infante D. Henrique, the name in Portuguese which he's known.

The lower deck links Ribeira in Oporto with the center of Gaia, close to the cellars of most of the port wine producers.
It is the only crossing between Oporto and Gaia at a lower area. Because of that, the narrow road occupying it has a permanent traffic jam.
For walking, it is the best way to head to Gaia's wine cellars.

The upper deck is probably over 100m high.
While crossing it by metro or walking, enjoy the astonishing views over the center of Oporto and the center of Gaia.
It's not advisable for people afraid of high places. The fences of the bridge are just normal fences, high as the hips of an adult.

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I´m usually afraid of high places,but my husband wanted to go to upper deck of Ponte Luis I.At last day of our stay I finally promised to go there.It wasn´t so bad as I though.AT towers I feel like they are falling down,but at bridge I just needed to stay little far from railing and I felt not so bad ;) Some guys were sitting down and hanging their feet through the railing!That looked bad for me-of course it was safe,but anyway..

The picture shows two bridges: The iron made D. Maria bridge and the white São João bridge.

The old D. Maria Bridge (iron bridge at the front) is the only bridge built by the company of Gustave Eiffel. Even that, it wasn't Eiffel who personally designed the bridge, but Théophile Seyrig.

Inaugurated in 1877 for rail use, it was at service until the beginning of the 1990's.
It was single track, and so old that the Lisbon-Oporto trains had to go very slowly while crossing the bridge.
I remember the second time I went to Oporto in the Summer of 1988, crossing this bridge by train.

When the São Joao bridge (white bridge at the back) came into service, D. Maria was closed.
There's no use for the bridge since then. It should be transformed as pedestrian-bicycle bridge, but no one came up with that plan yet.