In 2022 there were more cars crossing the 25 de Abril bridge than in 2019. The end of the pandemic and the lack of public transport options dictated a greater number of people using the main route that connects the north and south banks of the Tagus River in Lisbon.

In 2022, the 25 de Abril bridge had a total of 1,693,468 crossings, 0.35% more than in 2019, according to ECO. July was the month in which the highest circulation average was recorded, with a total of 158,697 registrations. Only in January, March, May, September and December were there fewer tickets than in the same periods in the last year of the pandemic.

The “lack of response from the public transport service” is pointed out as the main reason why there were more cars circulating on this bridge than in 2019, the year in which passes for 30 and 40 euros for public transport began to be sold in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto.

With a public transport system “that does not grow”, not even the sharp rise in fuel prices has deterred people from using the car again to cross the Tagus River. Even so, the number of users on the 25 de Abril bridge was below the records of 2018 (1,717,306) and 2017 (1,721,772).


Vasco da Gama bridge


On the other hand, the Vasco da Gama bridge did not fully recover from the pandemic: there were 787,640 crossings registered in 2022, 4.47% less than in 2019 (823,661). ECO asked Lusoponte for a comment regarding this data but the concessionaire declined to make any statements.

It remains to be seen whether in 2023 the trend towards an increase in bridge users will continue: on the one hand, tolls increased by 10 or 15 cents, for 25 de Abril and Vasco da Gama (respectively); on the other hand, the beginning of the year has been marked by strikes in Infraestruturas de Portugal, which is expected to have a knock on effect on traffic levels.