Skip to content
Metro Transportation Research Library and Archive: Click to return to homepage
  • About
    • About Us
    • News and Updates
    • Our Primary Resources in Action
    • Policies
  • Daily Headlines
  • LA Transportation History
    • Past Visions: 1920s
    • Past Visions: 1930s
    • Past Visions: 1940s
    • Historic Traffic Plans: 1911-1957
    • Archive
      • Online Archive of California
      • Search Digitized Material
        • Search California Highways and Public Works Magazine: 1924-1967
        • Search CEO Briefs & Every Voice Counts 2005-present
        • Search Electric Railway Journal 1884-1931
        • Search Employee News Magazines: 1918-2009
        • Search Metro Library’s Digitized Documents
        • Search Metro’s Board Records 1993-2015 and its Predecessors Meeting Minutes 1951-1993
        • Search Metro Board Correspondence/Board Box 1993-present
        • Search Los Angeles Metro Press Releases 1993 – Present
  • Resources to Know
    • Start Here: An Approach to Transportation Research
    • Transportation Data and Related Resources
    • Databases and eBooks
    • Environmental Studies
    • Metro Library Knowledge Hub
    • Search the Library Catalog
  • About
    • About Us
    • News and Updates
    • Our Primary Resources in Action
    • Policies
  • Daily Headlines
  • LA Transportation History
    • Past Visions: 1920s
    • Past Visions: 1930s
    • Past Visions: 1940s
    • Historic Traffic Plans: 1911-1957
    • Archive
      • Online Archive of California
      • Search Digitized Material
        • Search California Highways and Public Works Magazine: 1924-1967
        • Search CEO Briefs & Every Voice Counts 2005-present
        • Search Electric Railway Journal 1884-1931
        • Search Employee News Magazines: 1918-2009
        • Search Metro Library’s Digitized Documents
        • Search Metro’s Board Records 1993-2015 and its Predecessors Meeting Minutes 1951-1993
        • Search Metro Board Correspondence/Board Box 1993-present
        • Search Los Angeles Metro Press Releases 1993 – Present
  • Resources to Know
    • Start Here: An Approach to Transportation Research
    • Transportation Data and Related Resources
    • Databases and eBooks
    • Environmental Studies
    • Metro Library Knowledge Hub
    • Search the Library Catalog

March 8: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History

  • Written by Kenn Bicknell

1951:  Bids are opened for the new Arroyo Seco Bridge on the Colorado Freeway in Pasadena.

(Click to enlarge)

It replaces the original Colorado Street Bridge, built in 1913 by the City of Pasadena and Los Angeles County.

The immediate proximity of the 1913 structure make the selection of type and architectural design more difficult than usual.

Technical design calculations are further complicated by the curvature and superelevation, excessive width, asymmetry of arch ribs and the magnitude of the structure.

(Click to enlarge)

Strict limitations of topography and a deep ravine within a few hundred feet of the main business section of a city of 100,000 necessitated placing ramps and curves on the deck of a structure whose size and location would ordinarily dictate the design and planning of the entire project.

An extensive overview of the planning and engineering of the new freeway bridge can be found in the January-February, 1951 issue of California Highways and Public Works.

  • Last Updated June 3, 2024

Metro's Primary Resources

Part of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Facebook-f Flickr Threads Youtube Envelope

Quick Links

  • Transportation Data and Related Resources
  • Environmental Studies
  • Knowledge Hub
  • Start Here: An Approach to Transportation Research
  • Visit metro.net
  • Transportation Data and Related Resources
  • Environmental Studies
  • Knowledge Hub
  • Start Here: An Approach to Transportation Research
  • Visit metro.net

Contact Us

1 Gateway Plaza, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012

  • Email: library@metro.net
  • Employee Hours: 10AM to 4PM, Monday through Thursday
  • General Public: Open by Appointment
Vintage transit poster that reads Rail Rapid Transit now! Contains image of speeding red rail car to convey urgency.

Copyright © 2025 Metro

 

Loading Comments...