Matsuzumi-chō Overpass, Cross-road bridge in Soto-Kanda district, Japan.
Matsuzumi-chō Overpass is a railway and road bridge in Soto-Kanda, Tokyo, carrying the Sōbu Main Line above street level. Beneath the rail tracks, National Route 17 and Tokyo Metropolitan Road Route 403 pass through the same crossing point.
The Ministry of Railways completed this overpass in May 1932, during a period when Tokyo was rapidly expanding its transport network. It was built to allow rail and road traffic to share the same urban corridor without interrupting each other.
Commuters pass under the overpass daily without giving it much thought, yet it sits at a point where rail and road traffic cross at close range. Looking up from street level gives a clear sense of how the city has layered its transport networks on top of one another.
The underside of the bridge is easy to see from the sidewalks running along the roads below. Those who want a side view of the structure can find open angles from both sides of the crossing.
The bridge's steel frame uses riveted connections, a construction method common in Japanese railway infrastructure in the early 20th century but rarely seen in newer structures. Those who look closely from below can spot the rows of rivets along the beams.
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