07.07.2016
ARROYO SECO BRIDGE
IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
MMA’s innovative proposal for the existing Arroyo Bridge in Pasadena, California was featured in the Los Angeles Times on July 7, 2016. In his profile of the project, architectural critic Christopher Hawthorne said “Maltzan’s proposal turns on its head the conventional wisdom about the relationship between freeways and the communities that surround them…and takes the kind of green landscape synonymous with the L.A. backyard — and with private wealth — and extends it to the public realm.”
The existing highway bridge crosses the Arroyo Seco near the intersection of the 134 and the 210 just west of Pasadena’s downtown. Unlike the adjacent historic Colorado Bridge, the Arroyo Bridge is a utilitarian highway designed to carry 10 lanes of vehicular traffic over the scenic Arroyo Seco below. The existing bridge prioritizes traffic efficiency at the expense of the delicate ecosystem of the valley corridor below. MMA, working in partnership with Arup Los Angeles, explored the question of whether an infrastructural element like a bridge can contribute more without compromising infrastructural efficiency. The proposal imagines a new vision for an infrastructural multiculture that supports community building, mitigates environmental deterioration, and improves the architectural experience for motorists and pedestrians.
