Worth Repeating for the Holidays: Arroyo Seco Parkway, First Freeway in Urban Western States, Dedicated – 1940

“Worth Repeating for the Holidays” brings you holiday posts that we think are still timely, interesting, or just plain fun! From 12/30/12:

2015 - pexels - giftsThe Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway (State Route 110), was dedicated on December 30, 1940, and marked an important transitional moment in the history of American freeway engineering and transportation, leading to the development of the massive freeway system that now extends throughout the entire Los Angeles area and beyond. But now, there’s an 8.3-mile section of the freeway we can’t call a “freeway” anymore. It’s the Arroyo Seco Parkway once again, after Caltrans officially renamed the roadway, restoring its original moniker from its 1940 debut. The reason? It’s a dangerous stretch and, because the Parkway’s historical status prevents upgrading to meet safety standards, the speed limit is being lowered to 45. Read more here.

Those of us who live in the Los Angeles area find it hard to imagine how we’d get around without the freeways — although sometimes it’s equally hard to imagine how we manage to get around with them!

 

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