The A 4 is a Portuguese

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

with a length of , running from

Matosinhos Matosinhos () is a City#Portugal, city and a Concelho, municipality in the district of Porto District, Porto in Portugal. The municipality covers an area of approximately and had 172,557 inhabitants in 2021. It is bordered by the municipalities o ...

to Amarante, where it narrows to become an IP road, signed as IP4 . The motorway leaves the metropolitan area of

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, through the urban areas of Ermesinde,

Valongo Valongo () is a Portuguese municipality located in the District of Porto and 10 km from Porto, in the northern region of Portugal. The municipality area consists of and 94,672 inhabitants in 2021, and it is subdivided into four parishes: ...

, Paredes,

Penafiel Penafiel ( or ) is a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality and former bishopric (now a Latin Catholic titular see) in the Norte Region, Portugal, northern Portugal, Portuguese Porto District, district of Porto. Capital of the Tâmega Subregion ...

, until arriving at the mountainous town of Amarante. It is also known as one of the most dangerous motorways in the country, particularly the descent from Campo to

. Many improvements are being projected by the government in this respect. Tolls are levied.Portugal Tolls
Grande Porto
accessed 24 August 2018 In 2013 the highway was extended from Serra do Marão to Bragança and the

Portugal–Spain border The Portugal–Spain border, also referred to as "The Stripe", is one of the oldest geopolitical borders in the world. The current demarcation is almost identical to that defined in 1297 by the Treaty of Alcañices. The Portugal–Spain border i ...

, where it connects to the N-122 road (Spain). The extension will also include a bridge reaching a height above ground of . Once extended the A4 will become Portugal's third-longest motorway, with a length of .

Marão tunnel

On 7 May 2016, the Marão Tunnel was opened to traffic. The Túnel do Marão is Portugal's longest road tunnel, long.

References

Motorways in Portugal {{Portugal-road-stub