The total area of urban and infrastructure intervention will span 4,500 hectares, equivalent to 55 times the Parque Expo, as outlined in a statement by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing.
The project was unveiled today to the 18 local leaders of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the mayor of Benavente, in the district of Santarém, by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, accompanied by the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, and the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz.
Named “Parque Cidades do Tejo,” the project will directly involve the municipalities of Lisbon, Loures, and Oeiras (in the Lisbon district), Almada, Barreiro, Seixal, and Montijo (in the Setúbal district), and Benavente. It envisions the construction of 25,000 homes and the creation of 200,000 jobs.
The initiative is described as “a project aiming to transform the riverside arc into a large metropolis where the river acts as a connecting link between territories rather than a separator,” according to the statement.
The focus of the “Parque Cidades do Tejo” will be on four areas of intervention, namely “Arco Ribeirinho Sul” (Almada, Seixal, and Barreiro), “Ocean Campus” (Oeiras and Lisbon), “Aeroporto Humberto Delgado” (Lisbon and Loures), and “Cidade Aeroportuária” (Benavente and Montijo).
This project will include residential areas, leisure, research, and cultural spaces, such as the “Ópera Tejo,” an international congress center, and the airport city.
Specifically, the “Arco Ribeirinho Sul,” covering 519 hectares, will see the construction of an additional 28,000 new homes and the creation of 94,000 jobs.
On the southern bank of the Tejo, the Benavente-Montijo axis, known as the Airport City (over 3,000 hectares), anticipates a new airport city and hubs for science and nautical industry.
On the northern bank, the “Ocean Campus” (90 hectares) plans include an urban park, a venue for large events, and an innovation, research, and development cluster, with the potential to generate 15,000 jobs.
Also, on the northern bank, the “Aeroporto Humberto Delgado” axis (400 hectares) is expected to add 9,800 new homes.
Infrastructure plans include the construction of two new crossings over the Tejo, specifically a third road crossing (Chelas-Barreiro) and the Algés-Trafaria tunnel, along with the new airport and investment in high-speed rail.
An investment of 3 billion euros is anticipated for the third crossing of the Tejo and 1.5 billion euros for the Algés-Trafaria tunnel.
The project also proposes expanding public transportation networks, including the Lisbon Metro, Metro Sul do Tejo, and Transtejo/Soflusa, as well as the creation of the LIOS-Sustainable Intermodal Line (Oeiras — Lisbon — Loures) and the SATUO (Oeiras Urban Transport Automatic System), connecting Oeiras (Paço de Arcos) to Sintra (Massamá).
Regarding governance, the explanation highlights the creation of the Sociedade Parque Cidades do Tejo, a company wholly owned by the State.
“The project will have an initial budget of 26.5 million euros, and its management will be based on a parity model between the central government and municipalities,” the statement further explains.
According to the Minister of Infrastructure, the goal of this project “is to ‘stitch’ the two banks of the Tejo together, uniting them into a great metropolis.”
Miguel Pinto Luz emphasized that “investment in road and rail infrastructure and the construction of Luís Camões Airport are fundamental components.”
Declaring this as a “future project for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, now debated with the 18 municipalities of the AML and Benavente’s municipality,” the government official emphasized that the “management of the Sociedade Parque Cidades do Tejo will follow an absolutely equal management model between the State and the municipalities.”
