Old Santa Fe Railroad Bridge Is Rededicated
Perhaps only in Southern California could something so simple and functional as a train bridge be so loaded with historical significance.
But in Los Angeles people grab their history where they can, and so civic leaders, community activists and historical society volunteers on Saturday rededicated the old Santa Fe Railroad bridge, which spans the Pasadena Freeway in Highland Park, with flags, balloons and speeches.
“To have something in place one hundred years is amazing, especially in Los Angeles,” said Ann Marie Wozniak, a member of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, which fought to preserve the bridge.
The ceremony was held to celebrate the bridge’s 100th anniversary as well as its new life as a link in the extension of the Blue Line light rail system into Pasadena, although that is still a few years off.
Once used by Santa Fe for passenger and freight trains, the bridge stopped carrying rail traffic in 1994.
After dismantling the old bridge, which had one set of tracks, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rebuilt it, retrofitted it to make it earthquake safe, and put it back up. The 18-month project cost $11.5 million. The Blue Line is not scheduled to start operating before 2001, MTA officials said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
