Roads in Portugal
The estradas reais were those with direct or indirect (via railways, for instance) origin in Lisbon and were managed by the State.
Widespread use of the automobile in the 1920s created new pressure for reforming the Portuguese road network.
In 1926, under the Ditadura Nacional regime, a provisional General Plan of National Roads of 1st and 2nd class was established by Decree No.
They were designated EN xx-x (for estradas nacionais followed by the number of the road and its class).
[11] In 1933, the entire (i.e. built and planned) network of national roads totalled 16,900 km (10,500 mi).
These colours were applied as the basis of the location markers and occasionally in the background of the road numbers.
The longest road of the 1945 Plan was N2, connecting Chaves to Faro, extending for 738 km (459 mi).
The N1 classification for the referred branch of A1 had been kept until 1985, thereafter the N1 road had its starting point at the level of km 26.
Also during the 1960s, a more direct and straight connection between Venda das Raparigas (Benedita, Alcobaça) and São Jorge (Porto de Mós) has been built.
Many branches had been replaced in importance by the 1985 Plan's IP routes, some renamed as Estrada Regional (R 2), some were municipalized and some classified as historical patrimony.
It aims to promote the past part of Portugal's inland crossed by the road for its importance to tourism, culture and gastronomy.
The first 5 km (3.1 mi) of this road, shared with N14, had been upgraded into a dual carriageway in the 1970s and are known as Via Norte.
From the 1970s, the road was considered obsolete due to several kilometres of congested traffic on the approach to the border.
As an alternative IP5 was built between 1983 and 1991, but this road proved to be highly dangerous and was cvted into an autoestrada, also known as A25.
From the 1960s, many routes were assumed to be somewhat outdated, so in 1972, Brisa was created to manage a projected network of motorways, which by that time didn't reach a length of 100 km (62 mi).
The itinerários principais was set to be of restricted access, forbidding pedestrian, animal, and bicycle traffic, but exceptions could be accepted, especially for sections resulting from the reclassification of former national roads into IP network.
The existing motorways at that time (all of them managed under concession) started to receive proper numbers of the type Axx.
With the application of the PRN 1985, new motorways were built with a few of them being managed directly by JAE and not under concession like the majority.
So, although all motorways were part of an IP or IC, only concessionated ones received the Axx number (whether tolled or not).
In spite of its name, Plano Rodoviário Nacional de 2000 (English: 2000 National Road Plan) or PRN 2000 was approved in 1998 and was published by Law No.
The Road Network is defined as following: IP and IC roads may have other designations, especially those integrated with the National Highway Network, where the "A" designation is preferred on traffic signage, except for some city or suburban highways.
Portugal has about 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of motorways,[21] crossing all the coast and connecting the main inland cities and towns.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Portugal was the country with the greatest development in the motorway network in the European Union.
[24] In January 2025, 800km of former SCUT highways become toll-free again, following a motion put forward in Parliament in June 2024 by PS, supported by Chega and left-wing minority parties.
[28] Under this system, the driver installs a small device on the front windshield that communicates electronically with Brisa (the company responsible for managing most of the motorways in Portugal).
[not specific enough to verify] There are 9 itinerários principais (principal routes), signalized by the prefix IP, designated IP1 through IP9.
They have three main functions: connect cities not linked by an IP or IC highway, connect municipal seats, borders, ports and airports to the rest of the state-owned network and provide free alternatives to toll motorways.
Examples for each of these functions can be made: N103 links Braga, Chaves and Braganza, N256 and N256-1 link the border of São Leonardo and the municipal seats of Mourão and Reguengos de Monsaraz to IP2 expressway and N4 provides a free alternative to A6 toll motorway.
National roads kept the same numbering they had in the 1945 Plan, with the prefix N, and are administered by the agency Estradas de Portugal.
Despite being declassified, most of the roads retained their designations, keeping their old numberings and N prefixes, including those that are administered by the municipalities.
