Dom Luís I Bridge: Porto Entrance to the Lower Deck

Lower deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge
Captured on the Porto side while climbing the stairs towards Porto Cathedral, this image shows the entrance to the lower deck of Dom Luís I Bridge through a stone archway bearing the inscription PONTE LUIZ I, in honor of King Luís I of Portugal, who was reigning when the bridge was built.

Read: Six Majestic Bridges Over the Douro River

Notice the tall stone pylon immediately to the right of the entrance. It is a surviving remnant of the Ponte Pênsil D. Maria II, the suspension bridge that preceded the Dom Luís I Bridge and was dismantled after the new bridge opened in 1886.

Designed by Théophile Seyrig, a former associate of Gustave Eiffel, the renowned French civil engineer best known for the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and completed in the 1886, this two-level iron bridge crosses the Douro River between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

As you can see, the lower deck is still in use by vehicles and pedestrians. Porto’s Metro uses the upper deck, which also has walkways for pedestrians.

Notice the hillside on the Gaia side, visible to the left of the bridge. The steeply rising terrain helps explain the unusual two-level design of the Dom Luís I Bridge: the lower deck connects the areas near the river, while the upper deck connects the much higher ground on either side of the Douro.

Douro River Views
– Scenic Beauty of the Douro River from the Dom Luís I Bridge
– Scenic Beauty of the Douro River and Ribeira from the Dom Luís I Bridge
– Sunset over the Douro River from Jardim do Morro
Explore More about Douro River Bridges
– Six Majestic Bridges Over the Douro River
Dom Luís I Bridge Pages
– Dom Luís I Bridge: Full-Span View from the Douro River
– Dom Luís I Bridge: Porto Entrance to the Lower Deck
– Dom Luís I Bridge: A Bird’s-Eye View from Porto Cathedral Belfry
– Dom Luís I Bridge: A Bird’s-Eye View from Vila Nova de Gaia
– Dom Luís I Bridge: Porto Metro Crossing the Upper Deck
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