The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge – Macau’s oldest bridge connecting the peninsula to Taipa – has reached its 40th anniversary, after emerging as “a first step toward the integrated development of the territory,” said architect José Maneiras.
“As simple as it is, it’s still a landmark in Macau. It is the most beautiful and elegant and, in a certain way, it continues to serve the city’s public transportation. It made everything else happen. It was the first step toward an integrated development” of Macau, he said.
José Maneiras believes that the old bridge also triggered Taipa’s urban development, as before everything was condensed in the peninsula. “The territories were very unbalanced, everything was condensed in the Macau peninsula,” including Macau’s population itself, vehicles, industry, as well as hotels.
The dual-lane bridge shows the higher standards of engineer Edgar Cardoso, “one of the great Portuguese engineers, an internationally renowned expert in bridges.”
The Macanese architect added that it was a huge achievement to build such a thin structure, which might have an apparent brittleness but has proven its endurance over time, having survived aggressive weather conditions and strong typhoons. Besides, “the bridge was built as cost-effectively as possible,” he added.
Mr Maneiras recalls how he used to cross the river by boat to reach Taipa, which at that time, he said, was seen as a small village and a rural area even. The bridge was initially crossed upon payment of a MOP5 fee, which was later revoked. Since 2007, the old bridge is only used by public transportation, namely buses and cabs.
When the 2,569 meter-long bridge opened it “was such a joy” for Macau people, the architect recalled, stressing that the old bridge has been a favorite ever since, even though two more have been built afterward. The Friendship Bridge opened 20 years later and in 2004 the Sai Van Bridge was built.
The old bridge opened on October 5, 1974. “For Macau’s Portuguese and Chinese population, the Macau-Taipa bridge could well be the future of Macau,” the then-governor Nobre de Carvalho said.
Newspaper “Noticias de Macau” reported back then that the Macau-Taipa bridge “was an important and grand happening,” which came to turn one of the population’s oldest and greatest desires into reality, with the newspaper headline reading “And the dream came true!”
Engineer Edgar Cardoso said upon the bridge’s inauguration: “It is a masterpiece we have before our eyes (…) for a number of reasons it is one of the most passionate creations of our professional and scientific activity.” He added that the bridge will always represent the ancient friendship between the Lusophone and Chinese communities.” MDT/Lusa
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