<p>15 years ago, the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the longest in Europe, was opened.</p>

Lisbon - Northeast of the Portuguese capital Lisbon, the Vasco da Gama bridge was officially opened 15 years ago, on March 29, 1998, making it the longest bridge in Europe to this day. It spans the Tagus River and is named after the famous Portuguese explorer who discovered the sea route to India 500 years earlier - in 1498.
     The bridge carries motorists on a six-lane highway into Lisbon over the mouth of the Tagus River, measuring 12.3 kilometers in length (with approaches, it's nearly five kilometers more), and is 30 meters wide. Over time, it is expected that the number of lanes will increase to eight. Its designers built the bridge to withstand strong seismic shocks, and its lifespan is estimated at 120 years.
     The foundations in the riverbed are anchored on 820 piles, each 60 meters long and two meters in diameter. The construction of the record bridge, which cost over one billion dollars, took more than three years with over three thousand workers; builders arrived on site in February 1995.