Colorado Boulevard

For the street of the same name in metropolitan Denver, seeColorado State Highway 2.

Colorado Boulevard

Map of Los Angeles County in southern California with Colorado Boulevard highlighted in red
West end	I-5(Golden State Fwy) inLos Angeles
Major junctions	SR 2(Glendale Fwy) in Los Angeles SR 134(Ventura Fwy) in Los Angeles SR 710inPasadena Arroyo ParkwaytoSR 110in Pasadena I-210(Foothill Fwy) inArcadia
East end	Shamrock Ave inMonrovia

Colorado Boulevard(orColorado StreetinGlendaleand parts ofArcadia) is a major east–west street inSouthern California.It runs fromGriffith ParkinLos Angeleseast throughGlendale,theEagle Rocksection of Los Angeles,Pasadena,andArcadia,ending inMonrovia.The full route was once variousstate highwaysbut is now locally maintained in favor of the parallelVentura Freeway(SR 134) andFoothill Freeway(I-210).

Route description

West end

Colorado Street crosses theLos Angeles RiverinAtwater Villageat its western terminus

The west end of Colorado Boulevard is composed of two segments: a disconnected surface street segment of Colorado Boulevard, and the Colorado Street Freeway Extension. Colorado Boulevard begins at acul-de-sacnear theLos Angeles RiverinLos Angelesand continues east. The road passes on/off-ramps to the eastbound Colorado Street Freeway Extension, and Edenhurst Avenue, which provides access to the westbound freeway. The segment terminates at WestSan Fernando Roadnear the Los Angeles-Glendalecity limits, and picks up across the railroad corridor at San Fernando Road in the city of Glendale as Colorado Street.

The Colorado Street Freeway Extension begins atInterstate 5(Golden State Freeway) as a shortfreewayspur, originally carryingState Route 134until it was moved north onto theVentura Freeway,but is still maintained byCaltrans.After crossing theLos Angeles River,there is an eastboundinterchangewith Colorado Boulevard (signed as Edenhurst Avenue), a westbound interchange with Edenhurst Avenue, and an eastbound interchange with Elk Avenue (signed as San Fernando Road). The freeway then terminates at Colorado Street inGlendale.Traffic exiting the Colorado Street Freeway Extension cannot turn west onto Colorado Street, but eastbound traffic from Colorado Street can enter the freeway. The freeway's entrances are signed as entrances toInterstate 5.

At the east border of Glendale, Colorado Street becomes Colorado Boulevard as it crossesState Route 2(Glendale Freeway) into Los Angeles (specifically, the neighborhood of Eagle Rock). Another short freeway spur splits west of the intersection withFigueroa Street,heading northeast to theVentura Freeway.This spur also carried SR 134 after the Ventura Freeway was built to the east but before it was built west of the split with the spur. After crossing Figueroa Street, Colorado Boulevard splits from Linda Vista Avenue and then passes over theArroyo Secoon theColorado Street Bridgeinto Pasadena.

Through Pasadena

Colorado Street Bridgeseen from the Arroyo Seco below

In Pasadena, Colorado Boulevard crosses the shortState Route 710spur and forms the north end ofState Route 110(Arroyo Parkway). Colorado Street, renamed "Boulevard" in 1958,runs throughOld Town Pasadenafrom Arroyo Parkway toOrange Grove Boulevard.It is the north–south zero axis of thestreet gridin Pasadena (the east–west axis isFair Oaks Avenue). TheTournament of Rosesparade route travels north on Orange Grove Avenue then east along Colorado Boulevard as far asSierra Madre Boulevard,where it heads north toVictory Park.Most major Pasadena attractions are found along or within one block of Colorado Boulevard.Pasadena City Collegeis located at 1570 E. Colorado Boulevard. The street was mentioned inJan and Dean's 1964 hit songThe Little Old Lady from Pasadena.The road leaves the city into unincorporatedEast Pasadena,where it intersectsRosemead Boulevard(Former State Route 19), all while formerly signed as California State Route 248.

Through Arcadia and Monrovia

Colorado Boulevard becomesColorado Streetas it crosses Michillinda Avenue from East Pasadena into Arcadia. Through Arcadia, the street parallels theFoothill Freeway,providing access to many of the neighborhoods in west Arcadia; freeway access is provided via a separated interchange with Baldwin Avenue. Colorado Street then turns southeast and splits into two streets—Colorado Boulevard, which continues east, andColorado Place,a short segment of oldUS 66that goes southeast to merge with Huntington Drive near theSanta Anita Racetrack.

From the split, Colorado Boulevard (originally named Orange Street) becomes a primarily residential street, with some commercial zones near Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia. The street passes under theFoothill Freewaybetween First and Second Streets in Arcadia with no access, in front ofMonrovia High School,and through Old TownMonroviabefore ending at Shamrock Avenue at Recreation Park in Monrovia. (This segment of Shamrock Avenue was once part of an early alignment ofUS 66and had been namedFoothill Boulevard.)

TheSanta Anita Depot,built in 1890 to serveLucky Baldwin,and the people ofRancho Santa Anita,was located at Colorado Boulevard and Old Ranch Road. It was moved to theLos Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardenduring the construction of the210 Foothill Freewayin 1970.

History

Colorado Boulevard in 1890, then named Colorado Street. Looking east to Marengo Avenue. Horse-drawn wagons displaying America flags, maybe a 4th of July parade.

1890 Horse-drawn streetcar on Colorado Street and Oakland in Pasadena

The most original portion of Colorado Boulevard ran from Orange Grove Boulevard to Broadway, now Arroyo Parkway. This portion of the street always contained many shops, banks, hotels, and major commercial industries. By the late 19th century, this part of Colorado had become so popular, it was becoming a traffic bottleneck, and as early as May 1900 there were public outcries to the City Council to widen the road. It wasn't until 1929 that the City undertook the major and unprecedented task of cutting back the buildings along Colorado 14 feet (4.3 m) on each side. This undertaking created a monumental amount of legal red tape as well as many engineering dilemmas which were handled with amazing results. At the same time many of the Victorian facings on the buildings were replaced with Spanish and Art Deco designs.

TheColorado Street Railwaybegan operations in Pasadena on November 9, 1886, bringing mass transit to the street via the newhorsecarservice.The line waselectrifiedin 1894 and was eventually absorbed into thePacific Electricsystem.TheLamanda Park Lineand other local services operated in the center of the roadway until January 19, 1941.

Colorado Street and Colorado Boulevard carriedpre-1964 Legislative Route 161from its west end to the merge with Huntington Drive (via Colorado Place). This was signed asState Route 134west ofFigueroa Street,U.S. Route 66 Alternate(US 66 before the end of 1940) from Figueroa Street toArroyo Parkway,andU.S. Route 66from Arroyo Parkway to Huntington Drive.

In 1954, theColorado Freewaywas opened between Holly Street in Pasadena and Eagle Vista Drive and Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock to help alleviate traffic congestion due to the narrow Colorado Street Bridge over the Arroyo Seco. The new freeway connected the two communities until 1971, when the entire freeway was closed and upgraded, as well as partially rerouted as the new Ventura Freeway. A short segment of the original Colorado Freeway remains as an on-ramp/off-ramp between Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock and the Figueroa Street off-ramp of the present Ventura Freeway.

In the1964 renumbering,LR 161 remainedState Route 134west of Pasadena, though this was being moved to the new alignment (now theVentura Freeway); until the freeway was completed through Pasadena in the mid-1970s, Colorado Boulevard was still signed asState Route 134between Orange Grove Avenue and Arroyo Parkway. Through and east of Pasadena, LR 161 becameState Route 248,but was signed asUS 66and continued east on Huntington Drive to theinterchangewithInterstate 210(Foothill Freeway) inMonrovia.In 1965, this was to be deleted when I-210 was completed.

TheUS 66shields began to come down along the length of Route 248 in 1975, soon afterInterstate 210was completed through Pasadena. SR 248 was never signed as such, though it did appear on some maps in the 1970s and 1980s. The segment within the city of Pasadena was deleted from the state highway system in 1986. The rest was removed in 1992.Along with the moving of SR 134 to theVentura Freeway,this resulted in Colorado Street and Colorado Boulevard becoming a local road.

Transit

Colorado Boulevard is served by several bus routes, operated byMetroand suburban systems.Metro Localline 180 serves most of Colorado Boulevard, running between Hollywood and Pasadena.Also,Foothill Transitline 187 serves parts of Colorado Boulevard, beginning inOld Pasadena.LADOT DASHEagle Rock/Highland Park serves most of Colorado Boulevard inEagle Rock.Glendale Transitline 6 serves Colorado Street in Glendale.

Metro has identified Colorado Boulevard as a potentialbus rapid transit corridor,part of a line betweenNorth Hollywood stationand Pasadena approved in 2016'sMeasure M.The bus rapid transit project would need to include removable components to allow for the annual staging of theRose Parade.Some local residents fear increased traffic congestion due to the proposed bus rapid transit route, whileothers supportincreasing access to high-quality transit.

In popular culture

The street is mentioned in the 1964Jan & DeansingleThe Little Old Lady (from Pasadena),with the protagonist described as the "terror of Colorado Boulevard."

In S05E13 ofThe Big Bang Theory,Sheldon says to Leonard: "It’s not about you. It’s about a poor immigrant from Pakistan trying to make his way in America by working the graveyard shift at the Colorado Boulevard Chevron", When talking about the gas station across their road.

See also

• List of streets in the San Gabriel Valley

External links

Template:Attached KML/Colorado Boulevard

KML is from Wikidata