Maps of Brasília - Eixao - Main Avenue of Brasilia

See also:
Brasília
Brasília Maps

Eixão - Big Ax - Expressway in Brasília

The image below shows an aerial view of the Eixão, the most important expressway in Brasília. For a broader view, check out this aerial map of Brasília.



The Eixão (officially called Eixo Rodoviário) is the expressway which cuts Brasília from North to South (from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other wing). At the center of the Pilot Plan, the Eixão crosses the Monumental Axis.

In the photo, the Eixão is the pair of roads in the middle. In parallel to the Eixão, at both sides, there are the Eixinhos (small axes), which give access to the residential blocks.

The Eixão was devised to be the fastest way to move around and across Brasília. There are five lanes each way.

Along the Eixão, there are exits and detours which lead to the Eixinhos and to the residential blocks. There is not any traffic light along the Eixão, but in some points speed controllers were installed.

The Eixão was meant to be a means for brasilienses to drive long distances within the Pilot Plan. To move between two blocks far apart, get to the Eixão first, then drive to the exit nearer the block you are going to, then take the Eixinho or the commercial streets.

The Brasilia metro runs along the Southern half of Eixao.
Notice, however, that buses do not go along the Eixão; most buses go along W3, another expressway which serves most commercial and residential blocks of Brasília (this map of the hotels sector in Brasília shows the distance between the Eixão and the W3).

The Eixão is sided mostly by residential blocks (the Super Quadras).
The photo below shows the central part of the Eixão, near its crossing with the Monumental Axis. At the top right, the cylindrical building is the seat of Caixa Econômica Federal, a State owned bank; to the left of it, the seat of the Central Bank of Brazil.