Spanning Waterway Connecting Portugal and Spain
The third international public tender for the construction of the long-awaited bridge over the Sever River, connecting Montalvão, Portugal, and Cedillo, Spain, is currently underway. This tender, published in the Official Gazette (DR) on August 1, 2025, has seen a significant increase in the base price for the project, now estimated at approximately €19.56 million (excluding VAT), as stated by the mayor of Nisa, Idalina Trindade [1][3].
The rising base price over the successive tender attempts reflects ongoing adjustments to the investment, including updated project costs, inflation, and scope refinements to better accommodate accessibility and infrastructure needs for the bridge and its access points [1].
The municipality of Nisa, responsible for launching the tender, emphasizes that this infrastructure is key to connecting Montalvão and Cedillo, expected to significantly improve cross-border travel and trade [1][5]. The increasing base price suggests attempts to align budget expectations with the actual economic conditions and project requirements following two unsuccessful prior tender rounds [1].
The international bridge project, developed by the Nisa City Council, envisages the implementation of a road with a total length of 10,083 kilometres, a large part of which corresponds to the rehabilitation of Municipal Road 1139 (EM1139) [1]. The final section of the project includes the opening of a new corridor, approximately 850 meters long next to the Cedillo dam, on the Portuguese side [1].
Interested parties must submit their bids by 11:50 PM on September 3 [1]. The project has secured funding through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) [1].
The previous bidding process for the works was launched in June, and bidders submitted proposals "above the base price" of the initial bid [1]. However, no information is provided about the response or actions of potential bidders in the latest tender process.
The Portuguese Environment Agency issued a favorable, conditional Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) for the bridge construction project in February [2]. The investment is expected to reduce the distance currently travelled by road between Montalvão and Cedillo by 85 kilometres [1].
The tender is the third attempt by the municipality of Nisa to construct this project, agreed between Portugal and Spain at a previous Iberian summit [1]. The deadline for completion of the project has been shortened from eight months to six months [1].
Attempts to contact Nisa City Council today were unsuccessful, as Lusa was unable to speak with the mayor [6]. Despite this, the current status is that the tender process is active for the third time with an increased budget, aiming to successfully finalize the bidding and construction of this international bridge project soon [1][3].
References: 1. [Portuguese News Source A] 2. [Portuguese News Source B] 3. [Spanish News Source C] 4. [Spanish News Source D] 5. [Portuguese News Source E] 6. [Portuguese News Source F]
Portugal, with its ongoing technology drive, may leverage advanced engineering and construction solutions for the bridge project over the Sever River, especially considering the significant increase in the base price and the emphasis on accessibility and infrastructure needs. The bridge, expected to boost cross-border travel and trade, could potentially introduce innovative technology applications to enhance safety and efficiency for both road users and maintenance operations.
