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Speed Limit on Arroyo Seco Parkway Could Go Down to 45 MPH
First, there's a bit of semantics you'll need to adapt to: There's an 8.3-mile section of the 110 (Pasadena) Freeway we can't call a "freeway" anymore. It's the Arroyo Seco Parkway once again, after Caltrans officially renamed the roadway, restoring its original moniker from its 1940 debut.
The Parkway, designed to be a pleasure drive for motorists traveling between Pasadena and downtown, was known for its scenery and landscaping, and drivers could enjoy a leisurely toot at modest speeds. Nowadays, of course, unless you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 110 in that same area, you're probably zipping along at 55 miles per hour--the speed limit--or maybe even faster.
It's a dangerous stretch, but because it's a national historic landmark, "Caltrans cannot re-engineer the road to meet the same standards of more modern high-speed roadways," explains KTLA.
The solution? Stop calling it a freeway, and get the speed limit lowered to 45 miles per hour. That's exactly what Caltrans is working on. It may never be a total pleasure to drive along the Parkway formerly known as a freeway, but it could get a whole lot safer. (Err, that is, if people bother to keep to the posted speed limit.)
Nostalgic for the highways and roads of L.A. past? Check our our set of vintage driving postcards: Wish You Were Here: Postcards From the Roads of L.A.'s Past
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