Los Angeles River Bridges, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA

Significance: Built between 1909 and 1934, the river bridges group contains many of the finest examples of City Beautiful bridges and viaducts in the United States. This system of bridges and viaducts has played a crucial role in the development of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Key elements in the establishment of traffic and settlement patterns, the structures allowed people to move themselves and goods across land and water barriers and promoted the successful establishment of commercial and residential areas. Through the use of the reinforced concrete arch, bridge builders harmonized architectural beauty and structural integrity, creating structures that unified the city and created pride in its public works. On June 5, 1990, following the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California, the voters of the City of Los Angeles passed Proposition G, a $376 million seismic bond issue that included $78 million for the retrofit of the Los Angeles River bridges. Over the last decade the Bureau of Engineering of the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works has been seismically retrofitting these bridges. All of the bridges have been rehabilitated in keeping with their historical architectural character. The retrofit and restoration of the fifteen bridges is as much an outstanding engineering achievement as their original design.
Survey number: HAER CA-271
Building/structure dates: 1909-1934 Initial Construction