Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los Angeles to Pasadena, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA

Significance: The Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway) was the first divided-lane, high-speed, limited-access road in the urban western United States and the first stretch of road for what would become the extensive Los Angeles freeway network. The approximately six-mile initial stage of the 8.2-mile roadway, completed in 1940, was envisioned as both a scenic road traversing the Arroyo and a vital traffic conduit linking the expanding cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles. Engineers and planners attempted to blend landscaping and native plants into the overall design while implementing safety features appropriate for high-speed travel. Construction proceeded alongside the installation of the federally assisted Arroyo Seco Flood Control Channel, necessary to ameliorate seasonal flooding. As road construction proceeded southward towards downtown Los Angeles in the early 1940s, the road began to more closely resemble a high-speed freeway. As a prominent example of the evolution from recreational parkways to more utilitarian high-speed freeways, the Arroyo Seco Parkway marks an important stage in the history of American transportation engineering.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N735

Survey number: HAER CA-265

Building/structure dates: 1938-1953 Initial Construction

parkways road and roadside elements transportation transportation engineering east los angeles arroyo seco arroyo seco parkway los angeles pasadena los angeles county california lloyd aldrich automobile club of southern california christopher b brown california state department of highways city of los angeles city of pasadena city of south pasadena frank h clough spencer v courtelyou christopher dalbey ernest e east arabella gonzalez brian grogan j philip gruen peter hao harvey w hincks historic american engineering record johnston andrew portia lee sydney mainster public works administration us bureau of public roads works progress administration photo library of congress public domain comics

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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