The port of Leixões (Portugal): over 120 years of knowledge

The port of Leixões was built in the nineteenth century as an alternative to the Douro port in North Portugal. Despite the importance of the Douro port in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (during the age of discoveries) and later in the eighteenth century with the port wine trade, it had several restrictions – namely, geomorphic and hydrodynamic features. The first studies of the new port of Leixões date back to the fifteenth century, but it was in the eighteenth century that a strong effort was made to deliver a viable alternative to the Douro port. Due to the magnitude of the work, it was considered one of the biggest engineering works of the nineteenth century. A diversity of structures are addressed, from vertical rock/concrete quay walls to piled quays and dolphins, pointing out the problems and describing the solutions. This work aims to describe the construction of the second most important port of Portugal, whose docks were totally excavated on the mouth of the River Leça, and its developments in over 120 years, focusing on the main geotechnical problems met and their mitigation. In fact, harbour geotechnics could learn from this outstanding engineering experience, and the Leixões port may contribute to that knowledge.