The grande dame of L.A. freeways still does its charming dance through the hillsides between Pasadena and downtown L.A., but the majestic 110 is showing its age.
The latest example: a 15-foot-deep sinkhole caused by a leaky 1940s-era storm drain that closed the northbound side of the 110 Freeway for more than 20 hours beginning Wednesday night. The freeway finally reopened Thursday evening, but not before causing traffic delays of up to 30 minutes for motorists struggling to get through the area.
The nearly 70-year-old highway marked the beginning of Southern California's freeway system -- and it is one of the few roads in the country to have won national historic preservation status.
But for all the art deco tunnels, graceful bridges and natural landscaping, state engineers say the 110 is straining against 21st century traffic conditions and sheer age.
"It wasn't made for today's travel," said Derrick Alatorre, a California Department of Transportation spokesman who was surveying the work crews trying desperately to close the hole.
Indeed, Thursday's closure was perhaps the most significant of various age-related problems to hit the 110 in recent years, including another sinkhole in the same area three years ago.
But the freeway was built in an era when aesthetics in some ways trumped functionality. As a result, the 110 has no shoulders -- and lush plants and trees grow right next to the lanes.
Often, Caltrans must step in to trim back trees, remove fallen debris and replace damaged signs smacked by vans and trucks driving down the narrow lanes. With no shoulder, this roadwork causes crews to close lanes and disrupt commuters, said Caltrans maintenance supervisor Rick Enriquez, who has been working on the Pasadena Freeway for the last eight years.
Now, Caltrans is considering a $16.5-million upgrade that would include replacing the old-fashioned wood and metal center divider with a concrete version. The upgrade would affect the center and side barriers on the 110 between its terminus at Glenarm Street and the 5 Freeway.
Officials have to tread carefully, however, because of the freeway's historic status and the large preservationist community that opposes anything that would alter its character.
"People who take these roads understand intuitively that this is a different kind of experience than you get on many of the bland, featureless, characterless interstate highways, and people like it," said Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America.
