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

The bridge was designed by Edgar Cardoso. Construction started in June 1970, during Portuguese rule. With a length of 2,569.8 m and a width of 9.2 m, it was open to traffic in October 1974. The middle of the bridge is raised over a distance of 1213 m to allow vessels to pass through a 73 m wide passage. The highest point of the bridge is 35 m above sea level. 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. After a later rearrangement of the shoreline, the bridge was shortened to 2,436 m. Due to the construction around Casino Lisboa, the bridge was temporarily closed in 2005. As of 2006, the bridge is open again, but only to buses, taxis, and emergency vehicles.

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.