Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena. Photo courtesy of ThatGuyChris & Pixabay.com.
The first bridge over the Los Angeles River was a covered bridge with kerosene lamps at Macy Street. It was completed in 1870.
| Bridge | Year Built | Length (Feet) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badger Ave. Bascule | 1923 | 221 | Vicinity Long Beach, over Cerritos Channel, on Henry Ford Ave. First of its kind in California |
| Buena Vista (N. Broadway) | 1910 | --- | LA, N. Broadway over LA River |
| Colorado St. | 1913 | 153* | Pasadena, Colorado St. over Arroyo Seco |
| Figueroa St. | 1936 | 803 | LA, I-110 over LA River. Steel girder river span. Largest of its kind when built. |
| First St. | 1929 | --- | LA, over LA River |
| Fletcher Dr. | 1927 | 469 | LA, over LA River |
| Four-Level Interchange | 1949 | --- | LA, Intersection of Harbor & Hollywood Freeway. The first freeway-to-freeway interchange in California |
| Fourth & Lorena St. | 1928 | 390 | LA, 4th St. over Lorena St. One of the most graceful of the open spandrel arch bridges designed in 1920’s. |
| Fourth St. (viaduct) | 1931 | --- | LA, over LA River |
| Bridge | Year Built | Length (Feet) | Location |
| Geneva Blvd. | 1937 | --- | Glendale, over Verdugo Wash. The three Vierandeel trusstypes in Glendale may be oldest in U.S. |
| Glendale-Hyperion (viaduct) | 1927 | 1,152 | LA, on Glendale Ave. over LA River |
| Glenoaks Blvd. | 1937 | 95* | Glendale, on Glenoaks Blvd over Verdugo Wash. Very rare example of Vierandeel trusstype – common in Europe - rare in U.S. The three Vierandeel trusstypes in Glendale may be oldest in U.S. |
| Holly St. | 1924 | 410 | Pasadena, over Arroyo Seco |
| Kenilworth Ave. | 1937 | --- | Glendale, on Brand Ave. over Verdugo Wash. The three Vierandeel trusstypes in Glendale may be oldest in U.S. |
| Macy St. (viaduct) | 1926 | --- | LA, over LA River |
| Macy St. Undercrossing | 1931 | --- | LA, Macy St. under RR tracks of Union Station. Structurally part of Union Station. |
| Main St. | 1910 | 280 | LA, over LA River |
| Ninth St. | 1925 | 1,422 | LA, over LA River |
| Bridge | Year Built | Length (Feet) | Location |
| San Rafael | 1922 | --- | Pasadena, over Arroyo Seco |
| Seventh St. (viaduct) | 1927 | --- | LA, over LA River. |
| Shakespeare Bridge | 1925 | --- | LA, on Franklin Ave. over unnamed Arroyo. Mimics Gothic Revival detailing of other public buildings in Los Feliz. |
| Spring St. | 1928 | --- | LA, over LA River |
| Sunset-Silver Lake | 1934 | 85 | LA, Sunset Blvd over Silver Lake Blvd. |
| Washington Blvd. | 1931 | 65* | LA, over LA River |
*Main span
Source: California Dept. of Transportation
Sixth Street Viaduct over Los Angeles River. Demolished in 2016. Photo from the Library of Congress.
The iconic Sixth Street Viaduct, spanning 3,446 feet over Los Angeles River near Downtown Los Angeles, was demolished in 2016. It was built in 1932 and was the largest concrete bridge built in California prior to 1945.
The Santa Fe Arroyo Seco Bridge, built in 1895 and standing over the Pasadena Freeway (SR-101), is the oldest standing and highest railroad bridge in Los Angeles County. It is 700 feet long and stands at 100 feet high.
Some Venice Canal Bridges are listed in the National Register as part of the Venice Canals Historic District. Included are four bridges built in 1906 on Dell Avenue across the Carroll, Sherman, Linnie, and Howland Canals.
The longest stairway in Los Angeles is believed to be a steep stairway found about a quarter block from the intersection of Baxter Place and Avon Street in Elysian Heights. It has 230 steps. - Stairway Walks in Los Angeles, Adah Bakalinsky & Larry Gordon; Wilderness Press, Berkeley
The beautiful Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena was built by the Kansas City firm of Waddell & Harrington in 1913. Owner John Waddell had already achieved some fame in bridge-building circles as the inventor of the vertical lift bridge. The Colorado Street Bridge was the first and only reinforced concrete bridge project by the firm.
