Viaduto do Chá

The Viaduto do Chá is a famous bridge located on Vale do Anhangabaú, in the centre of São Paulo. It was designed in 1887 but it was opened just in 1982. It was the first bridge built in the city. Construction started in 1888, but were interrupted a month later due to the residents resistance, among them the Barão de Tatuí, which houses would be evicted. The situation went on until the day the population in favor of the bridge`s construction armed themselves with picks and attacked a wall of the Baron`s house, forcing him to move. The construction of the bridge restarted just in 1889, with mettalic structure coming from Germany. The Ferrocarril company, responsible for the bridge, charged three "vinténs" (brazilian money at the time) toll for whom crossed the River Anhangabaú. There was always stylish people crossing the bridge, going to the cinemas or shops around and later on to the Teatro Municipal, opened in 1911. The city developed and in 1938, the german metal construction with wood floor could not stand the large number of people crossing it every day. In the same year, the bridge was demolished, been replaced by a new one, built of reinforced concrete and wider. The name of the bridge comes from the Morro do Chá (Tea Hill), on the downhill of Rua Xavier de Toledo and the Teatro Municipal, where the Barão de Tatuí planted tea on his farm. For being a region with a lot of traffic, the Viaduto do Chá is normally used as background for TV programs interviews and polls. It`s also a place normally used in soap operas and films that happen in the centre of São Paulo.