viaduct built
What significant event was happening to Viaduto do Chá before Dec 1887?
Viaduto do Chá Viaduto do Chá ( Tea Viaduct ) is a viaduct of São Paulo , Brazil . It was the first viaduct built in the city , and was instigated by Jules Martin , a French immigrant to the city . The span crosses the Vale do Anhangabaú . Originally conceived in 1877 , construction started in 1888 before being stopped one month later by a court case brought by local residents . Construction resumed in 1889 , and the iron bridge was completed in 1892 . The original viaduct was replaced in 1938 with a new concrete span . It often appears in TV interviews , as well as films and telenovelas set in São Paulo . Background . The viaduct is located in São Paulo , Brazil . It runs over the Anhangabaú River in the Vale do Anhangabaú valley , which separated two cities . On one side was the city centre of São Paulo , which ended at the Rua Direita . On the other side was a neighbourhood called Morro do Chá ( now Republica and Consolação ) , which lacked good transportation and policing . In order to get between the two , a long tram ride in a U-shape around the valley was required , or to go down a steep descent to the Ponte do Lorena and cross there , returning up a slope on the other side near to Rua Xavier de Toledo . An extension of the citys tram network to Consolação was proposed in 1879 , but was rejected by local residents as being good for the tram company but bad for local residents . Original viaduct . The idea of building a viaduct came from Jules Martin , a French immigrant who was active in solving problems in the city , including installing the citys first gas engine , and drawing the first map of the province . He presented initial plans to connect Rua Direita to Rua Barão de Itapetininga with a viaduct in 1877 . Expanded plans for a boulevard were detailed in 1882 , but by 1885 the plans had reverted to the viaduct , and Martin signed a contract to construct it and to form a company to do so . Planning started on 30 April 1888 . After one month the work on the viaduct stopped . Some of the residents were against the viaduct , including Francisco Xavier Pais de Barros , the Baron of Tatuí , and his wife , one of whose houses was slated for demolition to construct the viaduct . People in favour of the viaduct attacked his house with picks to force him to move . In May 1889 their court case was defeated , and the viaduct was constructed . Construction restarted in 1889 , initially run by the company Companhia Paulista do Chá . Due to delays , the company ran out of funding and almost went bankrupt ; the project was transferred to Companhia de Ferro Carril de São Paulo , which completed the construction . The -long viaduct had a structure made of iron imported from Germany , with a wooden floor . It was wide , and carried pedestrians , horse-drawn trams , and other animal-drawn vehicles ( but fixed-axle vehicles were banned ) . It was inaugurated on 6 November 1892 . It was São Paulos first viaduct , and was named after a nearby tea plantation called Morro do Chá . It was originally operated as a gated toll road in order to cover the construction expenses . The toll to cross the bridge was 60 réis , or three vinténs , per person , which led to the nickname for the viaduct of Viaduto dos Três Vinténs ( Three Vinténs Viaduct ) . For trams the toll was 200 réis . The toll was removed in 1896 when the viaduct was expropriated by the city council . The bridge was strengthened and enlarged in 1902 when electric trams were introduced to the city , and the valley that it passed over was turned into a park in 1910 . The Municipal Theatre was constructed nearby 1911 on the site of an earlier sawmill . In the 1920s cars started to cross the viaduct . Replacement . By the 1930s , the original viaduct was too narrow to cope with the increase in traffic due to the growth of the city . A new double-width bridge made of reinforced concrete was constructed with a long arch supported by two pillars , adjacent to the original viaduct . It was designed by Elisário Bahiana , and was inaugurated on 23 February 1938 ; the original viaduct was demolished starting on 18 April 1938 . The park below the bridge changed substantially in the 1940s , with the river being taken underground and new roads constructed in the valley passing under the viaduct . The area changed significantly again in the 1990s , with a new road tunnel passing through the valley and a new park constructed on top of the tunnel . In 1992 the deck of the viaduct was refurbished . The viaduct is now adjacent to the Matarazzo Building , São Paulos town hall The bridge has been one of the icons of the city for many years , and is often used as a backdrop during TV interviews , and in movies and telenovelas set in São Paulo . The viaduct has often been used for suicides , a fact that has been featured in songs . In April 2010 the sidewalk of the viaduct was occupied by around 700 tents .