Pasadena Freeway
CA 110

Page 1: US 101 to Interstate 5

Last modified: June 2008

The Pasadena Freeway was the first freeway built in California. Over the past 60 years it has been signed as US 6, US 66, CA 11, and is now CA 110.  The south end of the Pasadena Freeway, from US 101 to what is now I-5 was built in two timeframes, the northbound side was built as Figueroa Street in the early 1930s (it handled northbound and southbound traffic at the time) and the southbound side was completed in 1944 to extend the freeway south to Hill Street from San Fernando Road, where it joined up with the 1940 Arroyo Seco Parkway section.

  • New historic designator for the Arroyo Seco Pkwy (at the Stadium Way exit).

4 Level Interchange signage
  • CA 110 changes from the Harbor Freeway to the Pasadena Freeway at the US 101 Four Level Interchange.  The Harbor Freeway south of here through downtown Los Angeles was built in the early 1950's.

4 Level Interchange   4 Level Interchange
  • The Pasadena Freeway starts at the Four Level Interchange, here seen from the transition from the southbound Pasadena Freeway to the southbound Santa Ana Freeway (US 101). This interchange was built in 1949, but not fully opened until 1952.

4 Level Interchange   College overpass
  • Left: Northbound at the Four Level Interchange.  The Santa Ana Freeway south of here, shown as I-5 on the signage here, is actually US 101 until it merges with I-5 at the East L.A. Interchange.
  • Right: Southbound at the College Street overpass.

College overpass   Bridge detail
  • The College Street overpass was built in 1939.

Dodger Stadium exit   Hill St exit
  • Left: The Stadium Way exit was added in 1962.
  • Right: The Hill Street exit was built in 1942.

Hill St SB exit
  • Hill Street exits the southbound freeway on the left.

First Tunnel   
  • Only the northbound side has tunnels. These were built in 1931 as Figueroa Street and handled both north and southbound traffic at the time.

L.A. City Seal   L.A. City Seal
  • The Los Angeles City Seal is on the portals of the Figueroa Street tunnels.


  • The second tunnel and the Academy Road "interchange", mostly a right turn directly on and off the freeway. The southbound lanes are on the bridge to the left.

Park Row bridge   Tunnels 2,3,& 4
  • Left: Park Row bridge, built in 1942 over the southbound side.
  • Right: Tunnels 2, 3, & 4.

Tunnels 3 & 4   Tunnel 4
  • Tunnels 3 and 4. The left lane here is usually backed up due to the exit to I-5.

I-5 exit   L.A. River bridge
  • Left: The I-5 exit hugs the side of a hillside. This was originally the intersection with Riverside Drive.
  • Right: the northbound bridge over the Los Angeles River was built in 1936.  The southbound bridge seen to the left was added in 1944.

Figueroa exit   I-5 over CA 110
  • The Figueroa Street exit and the I-5 bridges.  The Pasadena Freeway routing south of here was Figueroa Street prior to the freeway upgrading in the 1940s. The I-5 bridges were added in 1962.
I-5 ramp to the Pasadena Fwy
California Hwys & Public Works
  • The I-5 ramp to the northbound Pasadena Freeway has this arrangement over the Arroyo Seco where the support pier does not touch the river bottom.

© 2001-2008 Mark Furqueron
m k p l @ c o x . n e t