How Building the 110 Freeway Cheated South LA | 110 Harbor Freeway History in South Los Angeles
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- The 110 Freeway is hands down one of my favorite freeways in Los Angeles. It's a relatively straight and easy ride, and it makes getting to USC, Downtown LA, or practically anywhere in a breeze.
But it’s also hard to believe that building this freeway sparked a series of protests in a South LA that was very different from the one we know today.
Today we’re going to take a look at the development of the 110 Freeway, starting with the Arroyo Seco Parkway, and its 22-mile-long expansion through South Los Angeles.
Take a look at the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission's Freeway for the Region - libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGT...
Learn more about the history of South Los Angeles, and the housing covenants that sustained a racially segregated region - • South LA or South Cent...
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:21 Advent of the Freeway
2:34 More Freeways
3:38 Rise of the Harbor Freeway
6:33 The City Battlefront
What's your favorite freeway to drive in Los Angeles?
The 2! Most of it anyway.
@@mcmulla2 That's a nice one, too, during the week!
The Arroyo Seco Parkway is the closest thing we have to a road race track. So many curves and so much fun to drive!
@@mikegarcia4835 🤣🤣🤣 The 55mph speed limit is only a suggestion
Ice Cube said: “110 is Gangsta traffic. The 405 is bourgeoisie.”
Great video. I learned recently how a similar issue happened with the 105 freeway. I grew up in Lennox and never questioned why the 105 cut through us and divided us from Hawthorne. My mom went to Larch elementary in Lennox before the 105 was built, and it was supposed to cut through Hawthorne. However since Hawthorne was predominantly white and Lennox was Latino, the 105 has a very weird curve into Lennox then cuts right back once you pass the city. The city of Hawthorne fought the idea of demolishing their more expensive homes, and lower income Lennox got the short end of the stick and was demolished instead.
That’s incredibly interesting. Thanks so much for sharing this. Highways are convenient, but the burden was paid for my many less fortunate people losing their hard-earned property….
But you’re right on with the curves. They’re very intentional. The same thing happened on the 110 freeway. USC pushed for the freeway to not demolished fraternity row. Historic South Central, in that case, got the short end of the stick.
But thanks again for adding this context here!
@@SouthLARecap it sadly goes beyond freeways, the further we look into LA infrastructure, the more you see how it's all a plan to drive us blacks and Latinos out while property value skyrockets. People talk about gentrification like it's new, but they've been doing it since we got here.
same yet different how the cross freeways were built (5, 10, 60 and 101) to cut off the high diversity that it carried in boyle hegiths and same for the 710 N on valley couldn't extended to the 210 cause gotta protect the white communities
Fun Fact: During reconstruction in the 1980s, the 110 almost ended up being a double deck freeway. This was scaled back due to the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and the collapse of the Cypress Structure of 880. Imagine a double deck 110 freeway in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
It was more due to lack of funding than fear of collapse from an earthquake. The 110 HOV structure abruptly ends at Adams Blvd because going any further north would have required major reconstruction of the 10/110 interchange.
The original plan was to link the 110 HOV lanes together with the transitway along the San Bernardino Freeway.
Imagine if your mother never met your father
I found this channel by accident and I've gone down the rabbit hole. The Blerd and local history buff in me is having a blast. I love it here
Great information! From being raised in Pasadena, I've always been consumed in the freeway system, and its surrounding areas, how they were developed, caused constraints, but yet provided so much for the public. I still recall taking trips on the 110, going into San Pedro, when the NB and SB lanes were dived by only means of a green fence.
I dig this channel a lot. I love all of LA city and we need more content highlighting the history of South LA. This channel captures it
Thanks, My Name is Dub. I’m just glad I can be a part of sharing these stories
Great reporting as always! Keep up the good work!
❤️❤️❤️
An interesting thing to consider is unlike the 10, which is mostly the same as when it was first built, the 110 and 405 had major widening projects that VERY dramatically worsened the blight on their surrounding neighborhoods. The original 110 at least had planted embankments on both sides and was built partially in a trench, but the widening project added the ugly double deck feature over the sunken part, and completely consumed the buffer strips with concrete and sound walls, creating the truly nightmarish environment along Grand and Flower
At least for 880 in the Bay Area, the recent managed lanes projects are lane conversions.
Definitely very interesting history. As someone who doesn't drive, but lived in Torrance and worked in downtown LA, I took the Silver Line bus up and down the 110 everyday. It's interesting to hear about the evolution of the freeway and how accommodations have had to be made for public transportation by creating an express bus with a dedicated lane along certain points of the freeway.
Another interesting fact about the Harbor Freeway, is how many times it has changed designation. Originally, it was signed as part of U.S. 6. In the 1960's, when Interstate Highway construction began in earnest, most of the old U.S. Highways in California were eliminated. U.S. 6 was truncated back to Bishop, CA. The Harbor Freeway became part of the new SR 11. It kept this designation, until authorities decided to make it part of the Interstate System (most likely, to collect those Federal dollars). Hence, it's current designation as I-110.
Thanks for adding this detail here!
I just stumbled across this vid, glad I did. Kudos for the work you put in and thanks for sharing.
I appreciate this, A.D.! Thanks for watching
@@SouthLARecapHumbly speaking, I'm of the soil, brotha. "Working Class Southeast" - east of the 110, is where my tree branches extend and my elders once had roots planted for a time around the late 30s and 40s on. I had lived all throughout S/SWLA during the formative years of my life. You're spot on and it's aligned with what I got through "word of mouth" from a few family members in the past when I was a child and they shared some experiences with me that left an impression. I'm just starting to view your content, having an interest in the history with thoughts of how impactful the freeways were and what would also become suburban sprawl throughout the outskirts of the region, a number of associated factors posed that would affect me personally throughout my life. I was once part of the LAUSD PWT busing program in the early 70s which even then I'd realize would shape Los Angeles significantly; part of a cycle that's perpetuated for decades before and since Watts 65, the inception of the Central Avenue Corridor, etc. Shifts in populational factors and social landscape. --- I'm a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to "our" history in and around the greater Los Angeles basin. -- It's good to see someone who can devote the time to this effort. Keep up the good work. It's appreciated.
Cool! I love learning new things about LA from your vids.
I appreciate this F3LIXIS. I'm really glad you like them!
Very interesting and well done. Thank you.
My family came to LA from SF in 1960 when i was in 2nd grade. we moved to San Pedro...and loved it. Loved horsing around the harbor in the pre-container days when you could watch real longshoremen schlepping cargo around. My dad worked at a factory in Lynwood. He was so excited at the extension of the 110 fwy south to San Pedro which greatly reduced his commute. I love this kind of local history. Thanks again!
Thanks for tuning in! I’m really glad I was able to share this with you!
Eric, was in elementary school during the planning stages of the Harbor Freeway. Your video explains why the maps of the proposed route kept changing.
Great video. Very well done.
Thanks, Hugh! I appreciate this
Enjoyed this work. My family began living near Florence and Normandie when the area was known as Southwest Los Angeles.
That's so cool. John! Any stories you can share about your family living in the Southwest?
There are maps from the late 1880s showing the area around Exposition Park as "West Los Angeles"
Great video!
Can you do the LA Sports Arena? My clippers are moving to Intuit Done next year. LASA was where my family and I fell in love with the Clippers.
Great work , Info about Long Beach would be awesome
I appreciate this! I’ll look into this to see how we can incorporate Long Beach!
Great video! Love the history you researched! I think a good follow up would be looking at the LA City borders. In some areas, the border of the city is barely over the width of the 110. It would be interesting to find out how that happened.
That's a good one. It's so crazy how LA annexed that land just to annex San Pedro. I'll keep this idea in my back pocket!
It has to do with maintaining control of the port.
Great video explaining the history of the freeway. I would love to see an extension of this video detailing how the Harbor transitway was built and its history, since AFAIK there were plans from the city for a rapid transit line along the freeway route for decades ranging from a replacement of the older LARy lines to a full blown subway (both rail and rubber tire)
Thanks so much for watching this. I still have plans to talk about the second half of its history once the freeway made way and public transit became secondary. But all in all, it's really neat stuff. Thanks again!
The Harbor Freeway Transitway was a consequence of the Consent Decree allowing construction of the 105 Century Freeway. The judge mandated either a busway or rail in the freeway median, in addition to 1 carpool lane in each direction.
Adding new lanes (carpool at the time) to the 110 was a separate project, completed a few years after the 105 was fully opened.
But it was considered necessary because that section of Harbor Freeway was due to be rebuilt anyway - at 40 years old the concrete was beat to hell and traffic was horrible.
It ends at Adams Blvd because going any further north would have required major reconstruction of the 10 / 110 interchange. Also, Caltrans never worked out if the transitway should follow the 110 or 10 to get to Union Station, where it would have connected to the El Monte Busway.
So much interesting history. Makes me wonder about what LA would look like. So much to consider.
It’s almost like a different world when you think about it. But the state has a plan and there was no alternative lol
4:50 Thank you for presenting the history in a completely unbiased manner. That's rare these days.
And the Division of Highways planned routes thru many majority white neighborhoods.
- around I-605 / I-5 interchange - many subdivisions were less than a decade old before the 605 came thru
- CA-210 extension - thru La Verne. Many houses in the right of way were about 15 years old
- CA-118 in Porter Ranch, by Wilbur Ave. Some houses built 1964 were gone by 1977. The subdivision in that area had many lots that were graded but never built on, acquired for the freeway.
Going back to the 110 Harbor Freeway, the state did make one detour, for the Doheny Mansion and the old Chester Place neighborhood between 23rd and Adams.
Fascinating content. Do you go about your research solely via the Internet or do you visit libraries too?
Hey, iSee109, we meet again!
I primarily use newspapers.com to learn about stories like these by sorting through newspapers chronologically. Crazy how often newspapers correct themselves week after week. But I do several Google and Wikipedia searches to gain cursory knowledge, and compare those top-level findings with what's being told in the archives. I haven't had to visit the library yet, but I know LAPL has some sweet photo archives. Most of which I'd have to buy rights too in order to use in videos though...
@8:30 - @TheSouthLARecap -- Not sure if you covered this as a topic previously or I may not have run across it yet, but I'd be interested to learn your insight pertaining to the construction of the Santa Monica Freeway and the 110...an area that impacted residents of the West Adams and Sugar Hill areas. Also...the section/stretch of ELA and Boyle Heights, the area residents that got displaced by the 60/5/10 merge. It's becoming increasingly apparent that your information is connecting the dots and helping with my own research.
The 10 freeway was definitely a racial issue. So much so that I believe that the city of Santa Monica is offering affordable housing to those forced out by freeway construction during the 1950's. I still can't believe that Santa Monica once had a good concentration of African-American residents at one time.
Great video. My grand parents were displaced by the 110 freeway and the 77th Street police station.
That’s so crazy! Did they decide to relocate in the region when that happened?
As a native Angelino I enjoyed your history of the 110 Freeway. Look at the terminal end of the freeway. It's all about the "Harbor" and the transportation of goods. Could you please find out the history and name for "Colden Avenue? "I had set out to do research on why the streets are numbered and all of the sudden you have Colden Avenue. But now I have you to do the leg work. Thanks
I just watched this video again and curious, what happened to the people that were displaced? Did they receive vouchers to move? Can you do a part two to this video?
I still have to do a bunch of research on what happened after the city council passed the route of this freeway. But there were editorials on why the state should provide the displaced with housing alternatives. I’m really looking forward to learning more about this
We’d love more freeway/urban planning video! Maybe one on the A line?
That could be interesting! I’ll keep this in mind for my 2024 videos!
well made video well spoken
Thank you! I’m glad you found this useful!
Wher can I see the map at 4:15 ? Thanks for sharing this video
Hey Gilbert. Let me know if this link to the map works for you. www.newspapers.com/clip/90167609/booming-southwest-development/
This video is a great introduction to the understanding of RED LINING and land acquisitioning done here in the 40's and 50's causing cross town segregated neighborhoods and totally decimating those of color slated as less desirable areas. These freeways where a developmental displacement initiative aimed at creating far more than change and use of space.
Middle class, white SW Los Angeles, at Vermont & Florence. Ha ha ha!!! My, how times change. :) What fascinates me is how a large city & urban neighborhoods can grow, decay, regrow, etc. over time. As if the city were a spirit-infused, breathing entity (as per your 2023/1950 video). And as an overlay to that, when some neighborhood (subjective terms:) improves or decays, some people are happy, others are sad/angry. Really, a fascinating macro topic, and about how our lives & dreams are so interwoven with the infrastructure around us.
Well im glad they built it when they did I dont know what we would do without that freeway so many people use it now
Hi can you please expand on this? Thank u
Definitely in the works! Is there a particular part you’re interested in?
@@SouthLARecap Yes, please. More on how people were displaced from their homes as the 110 was being built and was this part of how white flight happened? I am mentally hungry about wanting to know more about all the cities I lived in as a kid. South LA included. I ended up living in Highland Park (Arroyo Seco 110 area) and know some stuff about its creation so now I'm Interested in its further expansion. Plus, USC is my potential grad school so again excited to know anything and everything. Thank you for responding. Appreciate it.
Can you do Ross Snyder, Jefferson High school, Carver Junior high school. Taco Mexicano. All south Central historic places
These are some great suggestions. I’m adding them to my list right now. Thank you, Ricardo!
@@SouthLARecap thank you god bless be safe!
I’d be interested in watching that!
Yes, South Central or South West / Los Angeles was a white neighborhood. There were no black families in that area. My grandfather lived there and owned many rental homes there. I remember it in it's changing times where there were the sixties riots and black families started to move in the area from the Southern eastern states like Louisiana, South Carolina and such and from California, then it was white flight, most whites moved out of the area to other burbs. Then in the 90's due to millions of Mexican immigrants entering the USA and California, illegal gangs started to attack black families and started bullying the black families to move out of the area and many black families moved to the high deserts in California and into Las Vegas. I know this as one of my old co-workers a black man ended up in the hospital from being assaulted from the illegal Mexican gangs to run his family out of this area. So that's my knowledge of the changes in that area. Now, I haven't been in that area in a very long time. Not sure what's going on there since past 2010. Anyway, thanks for doing the research, interesting.
A lot of Mexicans and Central Americans moved into these areas in South L.A. in the late 90s and early 2000s. As a result, tensions and disputes developed between Latinos and long time Black residents in the area. Now, in 2023, these areas are predominantly Hispanic.
Its crazy how back then freeways were part of separating the communities smh boyle heights and east la had a similar situation
I love driving like a maniac on the 110 part of NELA lol
I grew up on 109th & Grand. I remember when it was just a highway.
Great history they did this in a lot of cities across the country
Thank you! And you’re absolutely right. It’s so sad how there was very little chance to stopping these freeways…but I guess we don’t have to live in a city with even more crowded streets!
Red lining via freeway construction. Same w building Dodger Stadium.
4:58 a lot of people feel like the Crenshaw line is doing what the 110 did back then... Create a border between the poor/hood and the wealthier (or white)
the 10 on the westside is nice but 10 on the east side its hell
I am trying to find out why Los Angeles County orients itself the way it does. They say east is north and I don't get it. The Valley is not north of the ocean. It is east of the ocean. Downtown LA is not south of Hollywood, it is east. The ocean is east. north is northern California, north is the north 101. Can anyone explain?
The Davidson Freeway in Detroit was built in 1940
110, as stated at mark 6:10, I wonder how a couple of years later, South Pasadena was able to stop it, with the demographics being the same, to which Pasadena was all in favor of the connector.
Where were they supposed to build the highway in LA … huh ?
Lol only southern Californians have a "favorite freeway" the entire concept is so foreign to me. I use the freeway because it's there, it's not like, something I look forward to.
Do the masses not realize without these freeways LA would be completely inaccessible!?!
There are other ways to get around that don't require freeways, such as walking, biking, busses, and trains.
LA seems to be recognizing at least that trains and busses are vital services for the community with the investments that LA is putting into its metro system, but if that money had been spent 60 years ago on rail, rather than freeways, the city would be in a much better place today.
Thanks to the Communist Democrat Party's failed policies of collectivism and globalization now public transportation in L.A. has been rendered unsafe to use.
@@jamalgibson8139 An example trip, from 7th St & Figueroa in dtla, to the Pasadena PetSmart. Both locations are freeway and transit accessible.
Transit: 53 minutes. Red B line to Union Station, then Gold L line to Madre Station, walk 8 minutes.
Driving: 18 minutes. 110 north to the 210, exit Madre. But what about traffic? Even at 4:20pm on a Monday afternoon the trip will average 40 minutes.
And with the benefit of point-to-point trips, the comfort of your own car, and not have to worry about the filth on Metro. Until and unless they get their cleanliness and safety issues fixed, they are not a viable option.
Why should young children be forced to watch losers smoke crys or fet? Or hear the rantings of someone having delusional episode? Or worse violence?
Foothill Transit buses are clean and safe. Long Beach Transit buses are clean and safe. Metrolink is clean and safe. Crime and trash is an issue unique to Metro and their failure to enforce their own Code Of Conduct. (but using police to kick them out is mean!!! 😂)
They should tear down the 110. It’s transportation benefits don’t justify it’s pollution of disadvantaged communities. Great video btw!
You’re out of your mind
@@user-kf6kk2ik2g and what about it?
"ANYWAY" NOT: "ANYWAYS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was interested still you started to bring up race in the video. Of course, whites were affected. It was different times.
LEFT WING, AGAIN!!
Lost me by making the race comment.
I disagree. Unlike many activists these days who falsely claim the "evil racist highway department plowed thru POC neighborhoods on purpose just to make them suffer", I feel his videos simply present the facts, plus with supporting evidence and documents, which is about as unbiased as you can be.
I can't speak for other states, but the construction of California freeways was not based on race. When the Division of Highways planned routes, they did so to get the most utility at the least possible cost. A lot of older neighborhoods were affected worse in this way because the land was cheap. But at the same time, a lot of newish subdivisions were sliced in two by a freeway no one could have imagined being built a few years prior.
Another race baiting LA highway video … yawn
Cool. Let me know when you actually watch the video
@@SouthLARecap I have a question ....
@@SouthLARecap Where would this highway be built that wouldn't displace anyone ?
I never hear an alternative idea from people who complain about this ... let's see if this is more than race baiting
@@drwalka10 I think you’re missing the point of this video-and you’re generalizing it with videos that explore the isms behind freeway and land use policies. I’ve doubt that you’ve actually watch this video in its entirety, but I’ll explain why I made it.
This video does not challenge the advent of the freeway in Los Angeles or its impact of its present location. Instead, I focus on the deception of freeway alternatives-and how the freeway even burrowed its way through a predominantly white community, which goes against a lot of videos that explore the inherent racism of freeways. The fact that it happened in a version of South LA some people don’t know is why I published it on this channel.
So if you want to talk about freeways and there alternatives, watch City Beautiful and join those comments. If you want to talk about South LA, you’re welcome to continue this discourse.
If you don’t want to talk about South LA, you’re welcome to dismiss yourself.
Kevin W You either didn't watch the video or misunderstood it. This video is presented extremely fair, unlike many others these days that like to push the "transportation racism" narrative.
(which may be true elsewhere, but not California)