The Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway (aka Pasadena Freeway) has is a federal senic byway, a designation shared by only two other California highways.

The parkway is located between the four-level interchange in downtown Los Angeles and Glenarm Street in Pasadena. A National Register eligible historic resource, the parkway is significant as the first freeway in the west. It represents a transitional time in history when parkways became freeways. Because of its engineering significance, it was designated a historic engineering landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1999. The parkway will soon be spruced up as part of a corridor management study being conducted by Caltrans.

Three amazing resources tell the story of the Arroyo Seco Parkway:

  1. The Historical American Engineering Record --  This project, completed in 1999, documents the origins and planning of the Parkway.
  2. The Arroyo Seco Parkway Corridor -- This remarkable planning project by graduate student at CalPoly presents a wonderful vision for the restoration of the parkway to its future grandeur.
  3. National Scenic Byways Program -- This site presents the nomination slides for the successful application to make the Arroyo Seco Parkway a federal scenic byway.