The fourth Macao-Taipa bridge is now officially called – wait for it – Macau Bridge. That’s according to a statement published today by the Public Works Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSOP).
The department noted that the official selection committee chose the unabashedly functional name out of five finalists, which were submitted as part of a competition. The shortlisted names included New Urban Bridge and the rather more poetic Silver Jubilee Bridge, Kiang Hoi (“Mirror Sea”) Bridge and Hou Kong (“Oyster River”) Bridge.
As the name “Macau Bridge” was proposed by more than one entrant, a lucky draw will be held to decide the winner of the top prize of 10,000 patacas.
[See more: The Internet asked, ‘Is it Macau or Macao?’ and we answered]
A total of 5,703 local residents participated in the bridge naming competition, offering a total of almost 14,000 suggestions.
The selection committee, which comprises 19 members made up of government, community and professional representatives, initially selected 88 finalists before narrowing the selection to five.
Measuring 3.1 kilometres, the Macau Bridge will be an eight-lane bridge connecting the two as-yet-unnamed reclamation areas known as Zone A and E1. The bridge is slated for completion by the third quarter of this year.
