Over, Under, and Through

The other day, I walked from São Paulo's Museum of Modern Art (MASP) to the 9 de julho viaduct, via the 9 de julho Avenue.  It's about a 1.6 km walk, which is a small portion compared to the entire stretch of 9 de julho that extends from Anhagabau Valley to the Pinheiros river (about 10 km total).  9 de Julho Avenue has expanded immensely over the twentieth century.  It was originally widened to a boulevard with expansive sidewalks.  Then (I imagine in the 1970s), the city diminished the width of the sidewalks to make 9 de julho an arterial avenue.  In the 1930s, the Daher Elias Cutait tunnel was inaugurated which sent the 9 de julho underground for half a kilometer.  In the 1990s, express bus lanes were put in the middle of the arterial.  With so many lanes and so much traffic, walking is definitely secondary.  Yet residential apartments line both sides of this section of 9 de julho.  Most of them were probably built before the sidewalk was reduced, and many of them have built garages where possible.  But pedestrians spring up along this route like daisies through cement.  Cars, busses, over and underpasses, and gated buildings cannot keep them from going about their daily lives.

Pictures:

The view from behind the Modern Art Museum of São Paulo of residential buildings that line either side of the avenue.  I am currently standing several stories above the underground tunnel and the avenue.

I begin my descent onto the avenue.  It is hard to note here, but at the bottom of the photograph is a colonnaded observation deck built with the tunnel that has now been closed to the public. 

This is a photograph of the entry to the tunnel, when it was first constructed.  Notice the observation level above the arches and the wide sidewalk at the base of the tunnel entry.

Now, the sidewalk has been reduced, and there is another viaduct that passes over the entrance to the tunnel. 

 Overhead is the Dr. Plínio de Queiros Viaduct, which lets out on the East-West Radial Highway.  To the right of the photograph is a parking lot under the viaduct.  Up the street, there is a park with with a playground under the highway. 

 In the foreground the East-West Radial appears to almost hang like a concrete bowl suspended by the buildings.  In the distance, the Martinho Prado Viaduct, appears almost weightless by comparison. 
The aesthetic dissonance between the East-West radial (constructed 1968) and the Martinho Prado Viaduct (sometime earlier, see below) speak to the dreams (or lack thereof) of different ages. 

 Underneath the Viaduto Martinho Prado, a station on the express bus route. 

 The Martinho Prado Viaduct in all its glory, when it linked two margins at the Southern end of the Anhagabau Valley.  Unlike the East-West Radial, it was never meant to be hidden by high rises. 

 View from the top of Majoral Quedinho St., looking down on 9 de Julho Ave.

Up the stairs from the 9 de julho to Majoral Quedinho St.
On the avenue level, there is fresh graffiti.  You can see the paint line, where a previous version has already been painted over.
In the foreground, the stair guard has pixação [tagging]. 







As I was looking up more on Av. 9 de Julho, I found someone who already did a much better version of this photo essay.  But they did the reverse route, and in Portuguese.  Still, check it out.

[Update]  As per Aiala's suggestion, below is a google map of my route.