Many Macau citizens felt pleased about the reopening of the Old Bridge as its closure created a lot of inconvenience for them. Vivian Lei, a year 4 student, said the reopening of the Old Bridge helps her save a lot of time as it only takes 10 minutes on the bus from Macau to the University of Macau.

Anna Wong, a year 3 student, said the government should continue the traffic rule which allows only buses, taxis and concession cars to pass along the Old Bridge as it can reduce the burden that vehicles make on the 32-year-old bridge.

"It is convenient and a short route for me to go the University and I am very glad to hear the Old Bridge has reopened," said Eva Lai, a Pre-U student.
To improve the parking problem in the Central area, the first Macau-Taipa Bridge (Nobre de Carvalho) was closed down on April 8 this year. The closure lasted for about half a year. The construction's aim is to re-organize the traffic circle in front of the Lisboa Hotel and make some route changes in the areas near the construction zone.
The Old Bridge was built in 1974. It was the first bridge that connected the Macau Peninsula and Taipa Island. The bridge was officially named the "Nobre de Carvalho" after President John de Carvalho of Portugal. The bridge is 2,569.8 meters long and 9 meters wide, with a double-lane design. As the Old Bridge is situated in a crucial location, even though there are two new bridges which were built later, citizens still prefer using the Old Bridge.