In the early 1900s, Los Angeles had one of the most extensive public transportation networks in this country--over 1100 miles of electrified trolley track. But it didn't last. The oil-rich city grew so rapidly that the system soon proved inadequate. Cars became the commuter vehicle of choice, and their growing numbers made it hard for the large trolleys to maneuver. Accidents increased along with traffic; and in 1937, the Automobile Club of Southern California suggested that the city build freeways to solve its transit problems. Early planners envisioned a Los Angeles in which every resident lived not more than one-quarter mile from a freeway on-ramp.Fifteen years later, civic leaders had a master plan underway--a design for a network of "super-roads" criss-crossing the city. At its center was the Century Freeway, projected to run east-west from the downtown area to Los Angeles International Airport, straight through 17 miles of densely populated suburbs.
Workers began to clear land for the project in 1965, despite protests by the homeowners who were facing eviction and legal and environmental objections from many parties. In 1972, a group of these homeowners joined with the NAACP and the Sierra Club to sue the State, hoping to block construction. They succeeded in obtaining an injunction prohibiting any further development of the Century Freeway until its plans were revised. An enormous corridor of half-demolished suburbs sat idle for seven years as the State worked on these revisions. At last, in 1981, the United States District Court issued a "Final Consent Decree," and the moratorium on construction was lifted.
This Decree was a landmark of sorts. It called for new hiring and training programs for women and minorities, and established a housing program to relocate or build new homes for many of the corridor's former residents. Funding was to come directly from the state gas tax and the Federal Highway Trust Fund. Highway money been never been used for such purposes before, yet the plan worked reasonably well. The affirmative action programs diversified the construction work force and many residents of the freeway corridor were successfully relocated. But an enormous community was destroyed and dispersed in the process. Furthermore, it now appears very likely that the innovations of the Decree will never be repeated. Legislative and ballot initiatives are pending that would eliminate affirmative action as a basis for granting preferential treatment to anyone involved in California's system of public employment, education, and contracting. The reason? Money. The 17 miles of roadway cost over $3 billion.
The Century Freeway, or the Glenn Anderson Freeway as it is now called (it was renamed to honor the former Congressman who secured its federal funding), finally opened in October of 1993. It will take you to the airport just fine, although, as everyone knows, traffic in Los Angeles is in a near-constant state of bottleneck. In fact, the city's need for new solutions to its transportation problems have become so critical that rapid transit is even making a return. Since 1990, the Blue Line Light Rail has been running from Long Beach to the downtown area. It follows some of the same routes as the old trolley system.
In 1982, Jeff Gates began to photograph and write about the vast corridor that had been evacuated to make room for the Century Freeway. Gates' work is a testament to the changes wrought by one of the most contested stretches of pavement in the United States.
Click here to view a selection from Jeff Gates' comprehensive website about the Century Freeway, In Our Path. Includes archival shots of LA's freeways.
