Santa Fe Arroyo Seco Railroad Bridge
| Company type | Railroad bridge |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport infrastructure |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Los Angeles, California |
| Products | Railroad bridge structure |
The Santa Fe Arroyo Seco Railroad Bridge, located in Highland Park, Los Angeles, extends across and traverses the Arroyo Seco Parkway at an elevation exceeding . It holds the distinction of being both the tallest and longest railroad bridge within Los Angeles, and is probably the oldest bridge still actively used for rail traffic. This structure spans the lower section of the Arroyo Seco, a watershed canyon originating from the San Gabriel Mountains.
History
Erected in 1896, this bridge succeeded an 1889 wooden trestle initially utilized by the Southern California Railway, a branch of the Santa Fe Railroad. The previous trestle, crafted under the direction of Santa Fe’s lead structural engineer Fred T. Perris, had itself replaced an original wooden trestle built in 1885 by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad. Rail service on this mainline ended in 1994. During the late 1990s, the bridge underwent retrofitting to accommodate the Gold Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail network, which commenced operations on July 26, 2003. After the opening of the Regional Connector in June 2023, these tracks became part of the A Line route.
With support from the Highland Park Heritage Trust and preservation advocate Charles J. Fisher, this bridge was officially recognized as City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 339 on January 22, 1988.
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in California
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments on the East and Northeast Sides
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- History of Trains in Pasadena
- Southern Transcon
- Union Station (Los Angeles)
- Southwest Chief
- Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
- Highland Park (Los Angeles Metro station)
- South Pasadena (Los Angeles Metro station)
External links
- Articles with short description
- Bridges in Los Angeles County, California
- Railroad bridges in California
- Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County)
- Highland Park, Los Angeles
- Steel bridges in the United States
- Bridges completed in 1896
- 1896 establishments in California
- Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
- Historic American Engineering Record in California
- Trestle bridges in the United States
- L Line (Los Angeles Metro)
- A Line (Los Angeles Metro)