Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge

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" (Chinese: 舊大橋).^[1]

Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge 嘉樂庇總督大橋 Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho
Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge at night
Coordinates	22°10′35″N 113°32′46″E
Carries	2 lanes
Crosses	Praia Grande Bay
Locale	Macau Peninsula and Taipa
Other name(s)	Macau-Taipa Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Girder bridge
Total length	2,569.8 meters (8,431 ft) → 2,436 meters (7,992 ft)
Width	9.2 meters (30 ft)
Longest span	73 meters (240 ft)
History
Opened	5 October 1974
Closed	2005–2006
Statistics
Daily traffic	buses and taxis
Toll	free
Location

Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	嘉樂庇總督大橋
Simplified Chinese	嘉乐庇总督大桥
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiālèbì zǒngdū dàqiáo Wade–Giles Chialepi tsungtu tach'iao Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization ga1 lok6 bei3 jung2 duk1 daai6 kiu4 Jyutping gaa1 lok6 bei3 zung2 duk1 daai6 kiu4
Macau-Taipa Bridge
Traditional Chinese	澳氹大橋
Simplified Chinese	澳氹大桥
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Àodàng dàqiáo Wade–Giles Aotang tach'iao Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization ou3 tam5 daai6 kiu4 Jyutping ou3 tam5 daai6 kiu4
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	舊大橋
Simplified Chinese	旧大桥
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiù Dà Qiáo Yue: Cantonese Jyutping gau6 daai6 kiu4
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho

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.^[2] The bridge was designed by Edgar Cardoso. Construction started in June 1970, during Portuguese rule. With a length of 2,569.8 meters (8,431 ft) and a width of 9.2 meters (30 ft), 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 meters (115 ft) above sea level.^[3] 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.^[2] After a later rearrangement of the shoreline, the bridge was shortened to 2,436 meters (7,992 ft).^[4] The bridge was originally a toll bridge but the toll was dropped in 1982 due to the volume of traffic.^[2]

Due to the construction around Casino Lisboa, the bridge was temporarily closed in 2005.^[5] As of 2006, the bridge is open again, but only to buses, taxis, and emergency vehicles.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

See also

• Transport in Macau