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Arroyo Seco Parkway
 Arroyo Seco Parkway | |
|---|---|
| Pasadena Freeway Part of Historic US Route 66 | |
 Arroyo Seco Parkway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Caltrans | |
| Length | 8.162 mi[1] (13.135 km) |
| History | Opened in 1940; renamed in 1954; name reverted in 2010 |
| Tourist routes |   Arroyo Seco Parkway Scenic Byway |
| Restrictions | No trucks over 3 tons (including buses, unless authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission)[2] |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |   US 101 / SR 110 in Los Angeles |
| North end | Glenarm Street in Pasadena |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Counties | Los Angeles |
| Highway system | |
| Southern California freeways | |
Arroyo Seco Parkway Historic District | |
| NRHP reference No. | 10001198[3] |
| Added to NRHP | February 17, 2011 |
The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest freeways in the United States. It connects Los Angeles with Pasadena alongside the Arroyo Seco seasonal river. Mostly opened in 1940, it represents the transitional phase between early parkways and later freeways. It conformed to modern standards when it was built, but is now regarded as a narrow, outdated roadway.[4] A 1953 extension brought the south end to the Four Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles and a connection with the rest of the freeway system.
The road remains largely as it was on opening day, though the plants in its median have given way to a steel guard rail, and most recently to concrete barriers, and it now carries the designation State Route 110, not historic U.S. Route 66. Between 1954 and 2010, it was designated the Pasadena Freeway. In 2010, as part of plans to revitalize its scenic value and improve safety, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) restored the roadway's original name.[5] All of its original bridges remain, including four that predate the parkway itself, built across the Arroyo Seco before the 1930s. The road has a crash rate roughly twice the rate of other freeways, largely due to an outdated design lacking in acceleration and deceleration lanes.[6]
The Arroyo Seco Parkway is designated a State Scenic Highway, National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and National Scenic Byway. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
- ^ California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ Legal Truck Size & Weight Work Group (March 2, 2011). "Special Route Restriction History: Route 110". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
- ^ National Park Service (February 4, 2011). "National Register of Historic Places Weekly Action List". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ *Gruen, J. Philip & Lee, Portia (August 1999). Arroyo Seco Parkway (HAER No. CA-265) (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 4–5. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Pool, Bob (June 25, 2010). "Pasadena Freeway Getting a New Look and a New Name". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FHWAwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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