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Arroyo Seco Parkway

The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest freeways built in the United States. The parkway connects Los Angeles with Pasadena alongside the Arroyo Seco seasonal river. It is notable not only for being an early freeway, mostly opened in 1940, but for representing 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 It conformed to modern standards when it was built, but is now regarded as a narrow, outdated roadway.[4] A 1953 extension brought the south end to the Four Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles and a connection with the rest of the freeway system.

"Pasadena Freeway" redirects here. For the freeway in Texas, see Texas State Highway 225.

State Route 110 marker

Arroyo Seco Parkway

8.162 mi[1] (13.135 km)

Opened in 1940; renamed in 1954; name reverted in 2010

Arroyo Seco Parkway Scenic Byway

No trucks over 3 tons (including buses, unless authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission)[2]

Glenarm Street in Pasadena

February 17, 2011

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 officially 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 original name to the roadway.[5] All the bridges built during parkway construction remain, as do four older bridges that crossed the Arroyo Seco before the 1930s. 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.

Route usage[edit]

According to CalTrans in 2016, the average annual daily traffic (AADT) on the Arroyo Seco Parkway was 78,000 car trips at Orange Grove Blvd, 100,000 car trips at Ave 64, and 123,000 car trips at Ave 43.

sign 

California Roads portal

Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad

Caltrans: Arroyo Seco Parkway highway conditions

Caltrans Traffic Conditions Map

California Highway Patrol Traffic Incidents

(HAER) No. CA-265, "Arroyo Seco Parkway", 41 photos, 1 color transparency, 22 measured drawings, 86 data pages, 6 photo caption pages

Historic American Engineering Record

: Route 110 Photo Album

California Department of Transportation

Primary Resources – Metro Digital Resources Library: "Arroyo Seco Parkway At 70: The Unusual History Of The "Pasadena Freeway," California Cycleway & Rare Traffic Plan Images"

(environmental preservation group focused on the Arroyo Seco, including information about the parkway)

Arroyo Seco Foundation

(many current and several historic photos)

Mark's Highway Page: Pasadena Freeway

Travel times

American Society of Civil Engineers – National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark