The western United States got its first high-speed, divided, and limited-access highway on this day 72 years ago, notes radio host Garrison Keillor on his daily “Writer’s Almanac” entry, broadcast on many National Public Radio stations.
It was the Arroyo Seco Parkway, linking Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles. The so-called Pasadena Freeway now carries more than four times the traffic it was designed for when it opened in 1940. See Keillor’s July 20 entry for more detail.
