Editing Transport in Portugal (section)

==Roads==
{{main|Roads in Portugal}}
In 1972, Brisa was to construct {{convert|390|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of roadways by the end of 1981. The first priority was a highway designated as [[A1 motorway (Portugal)|A1]], a {{convert|300|km|mi|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} stretch reaching from the capital of Lisbon north to Porto, Portugal's second-largest city. This highway would become a crucial link to the industrial activity in the north of the country and experience the highest traffic volumes in Brisa's network. Construction also began on the A2, which was projected to reach from Lisbon to resort areas on the southern coast.
[[Image:A28 No da Povoa de Varzim.JPG|thumb|left|200px|In the 1990s many motorways were opened. Shown is the [[A28 motorway (Portugal)|A28 motorway]] in the [[Grande Porto]] subregion.]]
Two years after the establishment of Brisa, the right wing dictatorship was overthrown by a [[Carnation Revolution|leftist revolution]]. The new regime included Brisa in a program of [[nationalization]], first taking control of 40 percent of the company and eventually gaining a 90 percent share. Road construction continued stretch by stretch under [[socialist]] control. As the first highway sections were completed on the A1 and [[A2 motorway (Portugal)|A2]], the government concession was expanded to include adjoining stretches. In addition, concessions were granted for expansions to the network: the A3 would extend the north–south highway from Porto up to the Spanish border, the A4 would reach east from Porto to the city of Amarante, and the A5 was to reach from Lisbon about {{convert|25|mi|km|0|abbr=on}} west to the coast. However, during the first years of democratic government, the combined length of the network never exceeded {{convert|300|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} through the 1980s. Transportation was seen as a priority in the 1990s, pushed by the growing use of automobiles and [[mass consumption]].

In 1985, a new government led by the center-right Social Democrats headed by Prime Minister [[Aníbal Cavaco Silva]], came to power in Portugal and began loosening the state's control over economic activity. After years of slow progress, the government began an extensive investment program to bring the transportation infrastructure up to date. While some funds were earmarked for railroad and subway companies, the largest share went to highways. Brisa received a direct capital injection of PTE 17.7 billion in 1990. The investment was urgently needed, since traffic volume in Portugal was growing at a faster rate than any other country in the [[European Union]]. Average daily traffic volume increased at a rate about 4.5 percent more than the [[gross domestic product]] each year between 1990 and 1996. The government kept up its intensive program of annual investments, allowing Brisa's network to grow from {{convert|300|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} in 1990 to {{convert|600|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} in 1995.