South Arroyo in Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Colorado Street Bridge

Historic Civil Engineering Landmark

Photographed by Craig Baker, 2017

1. Colorado Street Bridge Marker

Inscription.
Waddell & Harrington of Kansas City, Missouri, designed the Colorado Street Bridge in 1912. J.D.Mercereau Construction of Los Angeles was the contractor. Dedicated and opened to traffic on December 13, 1913. Designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the Los Angeles section of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1975, and as a Cultural Heritage Landmark of the City of Pasadena in 1979, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service in 1981.

Designed as a series of large parabolic arches, the structure includes five spans of 133 feet at the base, one span of 114 feet, and one span of 233 feet, with six small girder spans in the form of arches and abutments at each end.

Under the bridge, between piers 9 and 10, is a smaller bridge, the Parker-Mayberry Bridge, a three-span arch concrete structure, built in 1914 to accommodate local traffic across the Arroyo Seco.

The Colorado Street Bridge was the first street level crossing linking Pasadena and Los Angeles and was a link in the transcontinental highway system called the National Old Trails route.

Dedicated: 1913. Presented: 2013.

Erected 2013 by American Society of Civil Engineers.

Topics and series. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the ASCE Civil Engineering Landmarks series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 13, 1913.

Location. 34° 8.707′ N, 118° 9.794′ W. Marker is in Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in South Arroyo. It is on Colorado Boulevard 0.1 miles west of Orange Grove Boulevard, on the left when traveling west. Located near the east end of the bridge on the south side. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 504 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena CA 91105, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles

and in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Vista del Arroyo Hotel (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pasadena Founders Monument (about 700 feet away); Lt. Orrin Russell Fox Heliport (about 700 feet away); Pasadena Pioneers Bridge (about 700 feet away); Fenyes Estate (approx. 0.3 miles away); History of Ambassador Gardens (approx. 0.3 miles away);