Stephanie P.
Yelp
Built in 1913, The Colorado Street Bridge runs parallel to the E/W 134 Freeway, connecting Pasadena with Eagle Rock and Glendale to the west, and with Monrovia to the east. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
After dozens of suicides in the early years of the 20th Century, the bridge became known to the locals as Suicide Bridge. As a result, a suicide barrier was added, which decreased the number of suicides committed. In 1989, after the Loma Prieta earthquake in Northern California, the bridge was declared a seismic hazard and closed to traffic. It was reopened in 1993 after a substantial retrofit. The bridge is closed each summer for a festival, "A Celebration on the Colorado Street Bridge", hosted by historic preservation group Pasadena Heritage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Street_Bridge_(Pasadena,_California)
The Colorado Street Bridge is an eleven-arched reinforced concrete structure, the longest and highest bridge of its time. It was the first high bridge across the Arroyo Seco, and is an important visual landmark in Pasadena. Through its design and construction, the bridge represents the advancing concrete technology of the twentieth century and the ornamental aesthetic of the late nineteenth century. The Colorado Street Bridge was designed by one of the nation's foremost bridge engineers, and constructed by a well-known California builder. The local community played an important role In planning and funding construction.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca1500/ca1502/data/ca1502data.pdf
The bridge is a great driving alternative from the most eastern section of Eagle Rock to the most western section of Pasadena to the 134 freeway during peak traffic hours. In addition, there is a protected walk-way, in the event you are looking to take a stroll or run across. If you are not afraid of heights, stop and take a look below, you will see the Arroyo Seco, a riverbed which flows into the LA River. And if you're really lucky, you will see some deer or other wildlife. The paths below are commonly used by horseback riders, walkers, and joggers. If you're not a golfer, when you hear FFFFOOORRRRREEEEE, duck, and I don't mean the kind that quacks. Brookside Golf Course is near-by.