The first freeway in California was opened in July of 1940. The Writer’s Almanac website had this shout-out to Southern California’s 110 on its July 20th birthday: “Known as the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the Pasadena Freeway, or simply "the 110," it was also the first freeway — a high-speed, divided, and limited-access thoroughfare — in the western United States. It runs for just over eight miles and connects Pasadena to Los Angeles.
Today, the Arroyo Seco Parkway remains much as it was in 1940, even though it wasn't designed for the speeds that motorists travel today: There are no acceleration and deceleration lanes, and drivers must go from the on-ramp speed of five miles per hour up to the freeway speed of 55 in a short and hair-raising distance. It was intended to carry about 27,000 cars a day; today, it sees closer to 122,000. But it's still the most direct route from Pasadena into downtown LA.”
The photograph from our collection is from circa 1950s.
---Wendy Welker, California Historical Society Archivist
6 comments:
Sorry, I don't believe it shows the Colorado Street bridge, as the 110 does not reach the Colorado Street Bridge. Those should be Avenue 60 and York/Monterey or something like that.
You are correct. We were mistaken about the Colorado Street Bridge label, but are sure it is a part of the 110. We did compare it to photos from our archives of Avenue 60 and the curves don't seem to match, so at this time we are unsure which stretch of the 110 this is.
That's the Ave 64 Bridge in the foreground. The York Ave bridge is the one with the arches.
I'm pretty sure it was known as the 11 freeway for many years before the name change to the 110.
No smog?
Exactly what I came in to say. It was definitely the 11 freeway LONG before it was the 110. It was renumbered as the 110 to meet with federal highway regulations in, I believe, the 70s or 80s.
Post a Comment