The World’s First Freeway
Local History Files
In 1939 The Arroyo Seco (Dry Creek) Freeway – now the Pasadena or #110 Freeway – was still being built, but sections were already open to traffic. This early film captures the look of Los Angeles’ – therefore California’s, therefore the U.S.’s, therefore the world’s – first freeway.
As you might expect, drivers weren’t really ready for it. If you closely watch this film, and several other films on the same YouTube page, you’ll see some close calls, bad merging, bad exiting, too-fast cornering and people driving on the wrong side of the road.
If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. Thanks to Hollywood Dave for the link. [Chuck Almdale]
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The first country to inaugurate motorways reserved exclusively for motor vehicles was Italy. The Autostrada dei Laghi, a toll highway connecting Milan to Varese, was officially opened on September 21, 1924. This marked the beginning of the modern concept of a controlled-access highway system.
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Aurelio:
Do you have any support for that conjecture or is this just another evidence-free internet claim?
I googled “world’s first freeway” before writing the title. A dozen hits cited this freeway, none cited the autobahn or any part of it. A freeway would have to have limited access, no intersections, no lights or stop signs, and no user fee. It can’t be merely a wider multi-lane road with lunatics careening down it. Supply a photo or film and some supporting references and I’ll change this.
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The world’s first “freeway” aka autobahn was built in 1932 in Germany.
Sent from my iPhone
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