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North Burbank UP to close on May 20, 2014
After serving the traveling public faithfully since 1941, the North Burbank Underpass on San Fernando Blvd in Burbank will close permanently on May 20, 2014. It is one of the more significant structures on old US 99 in the San Fernando Valley. Somewhat ironically, the structure will be replaced with a new interchange at Empire Ave. San Fernando Blvd will be rerouted back to its pre-1941 alignment, this time without a grade crossing. So, get out there and take your pictures while you can. Do the same for any other sections of old highway. You never really know how long they will last.
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Streetcar tracks in Bankers Hill
While riding home today from downtown San Diego, I passed some construction on 5th Ave between Olive St and Palm St. It seems that the tracks from the #1 San Diego Electric Railway line are still in place. I had thought most of these tracks were long since torn up. Instead, as seen on Park Blvd, the tracks are merely buried under a few inches of asphalt.
Los Angeles And Salt Lake Railroad – Santa Ana River Bridge
In the Jurupa area of Riverside, there is a really neat old railroad bridge. Built in 1904, it was a part of the former San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. This bridge is fairly unique in Southern California in that it is a concrete arch design instead of the usual steel truss type. As it is also a single-track bridge, increasing traffic may warrant an additional span.
Unusual Street in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills
In the Hollywood Hills off of Coldwater Canyon Road, there is an unusual street. First turning off of Coldwater Canyon as Cherokee Lane in Los Angeles, it looks like a pretty standard road. However, reaching further up, the road passes the Beverly Hills city limits. Well, only half of it does. So, now the left half is in Los Angeles and the right half is in Beverly Hills. The blocks are also now slightly different, with the LA side in the 9400 block and the Beverly Hills side in the 9300 block.
The road follows the city limits until it reaches Bowmont Drive. Bearing to the right at the intersection, things get very unusual. Instead of just different cities, now the same roadway has different names. The left side is now the 9300 block of Cherokee Ln in Los Angeles. The right side is now the 2000 block of Loma Vista Dr in Beverly Hills. This oddity continues until the entire roadway crosses into Beverly Hills a short ways up the canyon. Sometimes cities work together, sometimes they work apart. This is the most unusual mix I’ve ever seen.
