Porto

Porto (in English also Oporto), formerly Portucale, population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with 1,551,950 in the metropolitan area, is Portugal's second city and district seat. It is situated in the north of the country, on the northern bank of the Douro River, just in the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Transportation

Known as the city of bridges, the first permanent bridge, the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge) was built in 1806, but three years later was sabotaged to prevent the invasion led by Marshal Soult during the Peninsular War with Napoleonic troops, who were believed to be coming from the south. However, they appeared from the north, and the population, unware of the situation, tried to flee through it en masse, causing the death of around 4000 locals. It was replaced in 1843 by the Ponte D. Maria II, known as Ponte Pênsil (suspended), of which only the supporting pylons remain, after being replaced by the Luís I and the Maria Pia bridges. During the 20th century, other bridges were built: Arrábida, which, at its opening, had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, for high speed traffic in the West side of the city. Then came S. João, to replace Maria Pia. And Freixo for high speed traffic in the East side of the city. The newest bridge is Ponte do Infante, finished in 2003.

Related Topics:
Pontoon bridge - 1806 - Marshal Soult - Peninsular War - Napoleon - 1843 - Suspended - 20th century - Arrábida - 2003

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The city is internally connected by an extensive bus network, a mixed subway that operates both under and above ground, the STCP (Sociedade dos Transportes Colectivos do Porto, Porto Public Transport Society) which also operates lines in neighbouring cities of Gaia, Maia and Gondomar. Other smaller companies operate sleeping cars from farther cities inside the metropolitan area, such as Paços de Ferreira or Santo Tirso to the town center. In the past the city also had trolley-buses. A tram network, of which only a tourist line on the shores of the Douro remain, saw its construction begin in 12 September 1895, therefore being the first in the Iberian Peninsula. Taxicabs are available at most squares, and are recognizable as cream sedans (usually Mercedes-Benz models).

Related Topics:
Bus - Subway - Gaia - Gondomar - Sleeping car - Paços de Ferreira - Santo Tirso - Trolley - Tram - Iberian Peninsula - Taxicab - Cream - Sedan - Mercedes-Benz

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The road system capacity is augmented by the Via de Cintura Interna, an internal highway connected to several national highways and city exits, complementing the Circunvalação 4-way road, which borders the north of the city and connects the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore.

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Due to the works in the Porto Metro and other public services, the traffic in some areas is disrupted frequently.

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Currently the major project in development is the Porto Metro system. It is the most expensive public construction project currently in progress in Europe, mainly due to the city's soil, which is extremely complex from a technical perspective and very expensive to dig. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built, for urban traffic, replacing the Dom Luís I, which will be dedicated to the subway on the second and higher of the bridge's two levels.

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