Expresswaysandthehiddeninequality

Beyond the waters of the bay, rivers and canals that suffer from the city's pollution and from the lack of adequate sewage treatment in much of the metropolitan region, one source of pollutants that directly impacts the health of Maré's residents is the three main expressways that border or run through the territory. Besides Avenida Brasil, two other roads are part of the polychromatic lines proposed in the Doxiadis Plan: the Red Line and the Yellow Line. These roads end up surrounding the favelas and imposing limits on their horizontal expansion.

Avenida Brasil was inaugurated in stages, starting in the 1940s. Connecting downtown to the west zone and Rio to the main federal highways, Brasil marks the boundary of one side of Maré, and in 2014, about 200,000 vehicles passed through there daily, according to the study Volume diário de veículos das principais vias do município do Rio de Janeiro, by the Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro/CET-Rio.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a stretch of expressway. The image shows heavy traffic with several cars and buses in motion. On the left, there is a gas station marked "Atlantic." In the center, a large concrete overpass crosses over the roadway. On the right, there are industrial buildings and low-rise structures. The main bus, with the sign "PRACA 15," is in the central part of the image, heading to the right.

The Linha Vermelha was inaugurated in 1992, and together with other roads it connects downtown, Tijuca and the South Zone to Fundão Island, Governador Island and the Baixada Fluminense. In 2014, more than 140 thousand vehicles passed through it daily, and the Linha Vermelha marks another boundary of Maré, leaving a large part of the territory "squeezed" between the two expressways. Vanda Pereira, resident and community activist from Nova Holanda, recalled residents' resistance to the construction of the Linha Vermelha:

Porque a gente já tinha a Avenida Brasil. E a Linha Vermelha ia impactar no barulho, no som, na poluição, e ia fechar a nossa comunidade. Ia dar uma imprensada, né? E a gente não concordava muito, mas foi feito. A gente chegou até a fazer movimento, chamado Maré Limpa, que dizia que antes de fazer isso, deveria limpar a Baía. Toda a Baía!

The Linha Amarela was inaugurated in 1998, cutting through the Maré between Timbau and Conjunto Bento Ribeiro Dantas on one side, and Vila do Pinheiro and Conjunto do Pinheiro on the other. According to the 2014 study cited above, around 130,000 vehicles passed along this road every day — numbers that are certainly below current ones, considering the growth of Rio de Janeiro's population between the time of the study and the present moment.

Image description: This is a photograph of an expressway with heavy traffic. On the left, there is a residential area with colorful buildings, predominantly in shades of green, blue, and orange. The houses are close together, forming a densely packed neighborhood. On the right, the expressway has several traffic lanes, with cars in motion. The sky is partly cloudy, giving the image a light gray tone.

The Red and Yellow Lines are still flanked by frosted acrylic panels. The installation of these panels does not serve as acoustic insulation or to prevent the dispersion of pollutants from vehicles in the area. Their almost exclusive purpose is to hide the favela from the eyes of drivers and passengers traveling along Rio's expressways -- a "solution" that fails to resolve the problems faced by the area, such as environmental liabilities, violence, among others.

Image description: The image is a photograph of an expressway with a wall on the left covered in colorful graffiti. On the right, there is a road with a few distant motorcycles and cars. In the center, there is a blue traffic sign with white directions. The sky is cloudy, and in the background, there is a metal bridge and mountains.