In this edition of the LA You May Not Know, we check out three interesting bridges here in Southern California: The Colorado St. Bridge in Pasadena, the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge connecting Silver Lake and Atwater Village, and the Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz.
All three are over 90 years old, and all three are made of concrete.
One bridge we would have loved to include is the 6th St Viaduct. Used in many a car commercial, over 35 films, and dozens of music videos, it connected Boyle Heights to the Arts District in downtown. Torn down in 2016, a new bridge is currently under construction. With a completion date of the end of 2020, it is the most expensive bridge project in the history of Los Angeles.
The Colorado St. Bridge is the oldest of our trio. Built in 1912, it has had a dubious reputation of attracting those bent on suicide. Extra sections of fencing have been installed on numerous occasions to dissuade jumpers. But city officials are still searching for a solution that will not take away from the bridge’s Beaux Arts style.
The Glendale-Hyperion Bridge is the only bridge in our story that has not been retrofitted for potential seismic damage. However, that will soon be changed. First, a pedestrian footbridge will be built over the existing concrete walls that once supported red car tracks. Then, without being closed to traffic, the bridge will be widened and retrofitted. The new bridge will have only one sidewalk but will add a bike lane and keep all four existing vehicle lanes.
The Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz is the smallest of our trio of bridges and probably the least known. It provides a thoroughfare between Los Feliz and Silver Lake. Built in 1926 as the Franklin St. Bridge, nobody is sure of who first gave the bridge it’s official present-day name. It has appeared in a few feature films such as Night of The Running Man and Dead Again.
So join our host, Alexis D. Rodriguez and check out these classic Los Angeles bridges.
