The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, also known as the Macau–Taipa Bridge, is a dual-lane two-way bridge connecting Macau Peninsula near Casino Lisboa and the island of Taipa at the northern slope of Taipa Pequena (Small Taipa Hill) crossing the former Baía da Praia Grande. It is the first bridge in Macau, to connect the peninsula and Taipa. It is locally known as "The Old Bridge" ().

History

Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge was the first bridge constructed in Macau and was designed to speed up travel across the colony as opposed to the one hour boat trip it used to take. Seen from a distance, this part of the bridge resembles a flat triangle. It is named after José Manuel de Sousa e Faria Nobre de Carvalho, the Governor of Macau from 25 November 1966 to 19 November 1974 who came up with the idea for the bridge. After a later rearrangement of the shoreline, the bridge was shortened to . The bridge was originally a toll bridge but the toll was dropped in 1982 due to the volume of traffic. As of 2006, the bridge is open again, but only to buses, taxis, and emergency vehicles. In 2024, a Hong Kong registered fishing vessel struck the bridge's protective rail. This caused only minor damage to the bridge but the boat started sinking with the crew being rescued by the Macau Customs Service.

Architecture

The bridge is meant to take the shape of a dragon, with Casino Lisboa representing the dragon's head, and Taipa Monument on Taipa Pequena the dragon's tail.

See also

  • Transport in Macau

References

  • Decree-Law No. 70/95/M, Regulations for the Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, Friendship Bridge and Access Viaducts – in Portuguese and in Chinese via the official website of the Printing Bureau.