Despite warning signs and restrictive barriers now being in place, pedestrians continue to use the crossing.
The old bridge, also known as the Roman Bridge, dates back to the 15th century and has been provisionally closed to pedestrians.
Silves council said the measure has been taken following a report issued in April this year, based on a diagnostic study carried out in 2015 and an earlier report from 2008 from the National Laboratory of Engineering.
Silves council said that, given the “advanced process of degradation” it had decided to “ban the
circulation of people and vehicles, maritime and terrestrial, both on and under the bridge”, a
measure the council said was “a precaution to safeguard from possible accidents.”
Earlier this month the council said it would be launching a public tender for the remodelling of its water and sanitation network to rid the bridge of pipelines.