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Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles
How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles explores how social, economic, political, and cultural demands created the web of freeways whose very form―futuristic, majestic, and progressive―perfectly exemplifies the City of Angels. From the Arroyo Seco Parkway, which began construction during the Great Depression, to the Century Freeway, completed in 1993, author Paul Haddad provides an entertaining and thought-provoking history of the 527 miles of roadways that comprise the Los Angeles freeway system. Each of Los Angeles’s twelve freeways receives its own chapter, and these are supplemented by “Off-Ramps”―sidebars that dish out pithy factoids about Botts’ Dots, SigAlerts, and all matter of freeway lexicon, such as why Southern Californians are the only people in the country who place the word “the” in front of their interstates, as in “the 5,” or “the 101.” Freewaytopia also explores those routes that never saw the light of day. Imagine superhighways burrowing through Laurel Canyon, tunneling under the Hollywood Sign, or spanning the waters of Santa Monica Bay. With a few more legislative strokes of the pen, you wouldn’t have to imagine them―they’d already exist. Haddad notably gives voice to those individuals whose lives were inextricably connected―for better or worse―to the city’s The hundreds of thousands of mostly minority and low-income residents who protested against their displacement as a result of eminent domain. Women engineers who excelled in a man’s field. Elected officials who helped further freeways . . . or stop them dead in their tracks. He pays tribute to the corps of civic and state highway employees whose collective vision, expertise, and dedication created not just the most famous freeway network in the world, but feats of engineering that, at their best, achieve architectural poetry. And let’s not forget the beauty queens―no freeway in Los Angeles ever opened without their royal presence. Freewaytopia is part colorful lore, part civic and historical critique, and part homage to the most famous freeways in the world.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
408 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2021
25 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Paul Haddad
8 books21 followersPaul Haddad is the author of several books about his native Los Angeles, including the L.A. Times Bestseller "Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles," "Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles," and "High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years (1977-1981)." His book "10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 57 Walking Adventures," also an L.A. Times Bestseller, has published two editions. As a writer and contributor, his work has appeared in such media as the L.A. Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Times (UK), LAist, ESPN, NPR, and HuffPo. He is also the author of three novels. An MFA graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Haddad has been nominated for multiple Emmys as a documentary producer.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 10, 2023
An excellent and interesting history of the LA freeway system - including its promises and pitfalls. Even a non-freeway nerd will find this book a fascinating and informative read.
November 26, 2025
everything is racism or classism, most of the time its both
October 10, 2023
Especially before 2015, people wouldn’t talk politics, and weather wasn’t normally an issue; sports talk among guys is not nearly as common in Los Angeles as the rest of the country. Sure, there’s a lot of talk about movies and other forms of entertainment. But we do obsess over the freeways. Saturday Night Live’s The Californians was an exaggeration, but not as much as might be imagined; your average Angeleno was far more incensed at some of the infelicities in the freeway progression as listed by the characters (ask any Angeleno about any driving scene purporting to be in Los Angeles from any movie and you’ll get an earful).
And so Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles (galley indeed received as part of early review program) is just catnip for Angelenos: the history of our common obsession!
The author cleverly begins and concludes the work with “begin freeway” and “end freeway,” just like freeways themselves do. He chronicles the development of most of the freeways of Los Angeles in somewhat chronological order (complicated by how many were being developed at the same time). It all begins with the Arroyo Seco (now CA 110); continues with the Hollywood Freeway (CA-134, US 101); and then expands with the Golden State Freeway (I-5), the Ventura Freeway (US 101), the Foothill Freeway (CA-210 and I-210), the Harbor Freeway (I-110), the San Diego Freeway (I-405), the Glendale Freeway (CA-2), the Marina Freeway (CA-90), the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10), and finally, and very much lastly, the Century Freeway (I-105). The Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10), the Long Beach Freeway (I-705), the Pomona Freeway (CA-60), and the San Gabriel Freeway (I-605) are either tangentially discussed or otherwise omitted.
The author describes the plans for the freeways, the complications which arose in development, how many were displaced, and notable incidents which have come to define the various freeways. The overall story is heard many times: the optimistic, starry-eyed promise of freeways in the early days, the freeway mania of the middle of the 20th century, and then the disillusionment and rise in discontent with further freeway development in the latter part of the 20th century. Thus we learn of many suggested freeways which never got off the ground; we also see how many freeways as they are today are only a fraction of the original plan.
The author does well at trying to keep the narrative as light and fun as possible while recognizing the darker realities behind how the freeways were developed and the kind of people who were generally displaced in their construction.
If you’re interested at all in the story of Los Angeles and its freeways, this is a great resource for you.
And so Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles (galley indeed received as part of early review program) is just catnip for Angelenos: the history of our common obsession!
The author cleverly begins and concludes the work with “begin freeway” and “end freeway,” just like freeways themselves do. He chronicles the development of most of the freeways of Los Angeles in somewhat chronological order (complicated by how many were being developed at the same time). It all begins with the Arroyo Seco (now CA 110); continues with the Hollywood Freeway (CA-134, US 101); and then expands with the Golden State Freeway (I-5), the Ventura Freeway (US 101), the Foothill Freeway (CA-210 and I-210), the Harbor Freeway (I-110), the San Diego Freeway (I-405), the Glendale Freeway (CA-2), the Marina Freeway (CA-90), the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10), and finally, and very much lastly, the Century Freeway (I-105). The Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10), the Long Beach Freeway (I-705), the Pomona Freeway (CA-60), and the San Gabriel Freeway (I-605) are either tangentially discussed or otherwise omitted.
The author describes the plans for the freeways, the complications which arose in development, how many were displaced, and notable incidents which have come to define the various freeways. The overall story is heard many times: the optimistic, starry-eyed promise of freeways in the early days, the freeway mania of the middle of the 20th century, and then the disillusionment and rise in discontent with further freeway development in the latter part of the 20th century. Thus we learn of many suggested freeways which never got off the ground; we also see how many freeways as they are today are only a fraction of the original plan.
The author does well at trying to keep the narrative as light and fun as possible while recognizing the darker realities behind how the freeways were developed and the kind of people who were generally displaced in their construction.
If you’re interested at all in the story of Los Angeles and its freeways, this is a great resource for you.
February 10, 2023
I WISH I could’ve liked this book, but I really disliked it. Too much info about how freeways are “good” and “impressive” feats of design. Didn’t touch on the displacement of POC communities at all or how terrible and car centric the public transportation system in LA is because of the freeways.
Edit-
I skimmed the last 100 pages of this book bc I could not find the energy to read it anymore
Edit-
I skimmed the last 100 pages of this book bc I could not find the energy to read it anymore
August 15, 2024
I'm surprised at how much I really enjoyed this book! Surprised, because I wouldn't have automatically gravitated toward this title because it's not necessarily the kind of book I tend to put on my wish list. However, it was recommended to me by a friend/coworker and I figured, "What the heck. Let's take a listen" and I'm so glad I did! It is so well researched and I really loved hearing how the freeways got their names, how they came about - including the politics involved with each, and especially loved picturing each and every freeway mentioned, as they were being mentioned, and knowing *exactly* where they were located. And, because of my job (I catalog historical photographs for the biggest library system in Los Angeles), it was so awesome to hear about any particular freeway I may have cataloged in the past! (Excuse my nerd girl moment, but Iyam what Iyam - haha).
Anywhoo. This is a must read (or a must listen to) if you drive in and around L.A.! Highly recommend. And, thank you for recommending it to me, Jim!!
Anywhoo. This is a must read (or a must listen to) if you drive in and around L.A.! Highly recommend. And, thank you for recommending it to me, Jim!!
March 30, 2025
If you asked someone to put together a list of what comes to mind when someone mentions Los Angeles, I’d bet that freeways would be in at least the top three. In spite of that and all the time we complain about being stuck in traffic in Southern California, most people don’t give a second thought to how our network of freeways came to be and the people who made them possible. Enter Paul Haddad and “Freewaytopia”, a history and appreciation of the road system that Angelenos can’t live with and can’t live without.
Paul’s book covers the fifty-plus year story of how the LA freeway system was created - from the Arroyo Seco Parkway in 1940 to the Century Freeway in the early 1990s. Along the way, we meet the politicians and architects who shepherded their construction, the homeowners and advocates who tried and sometimes succeeded in stopping them, and the assorted people who found themselves in the headlines because of them. We see the attitudes towards freeways change as the years pass; in the early years, most people saw them as a symbol of progress, speed, and efficiency, but in later years, misgivings and outright hostility grew with each new freeway built until the freeways became symbols of community destruction, health endangerment, and racism. While the era of building new freeways has come and gone (the focus is on expanding and maintaining the freeways we’ve got), they still have an impact - and not just on the people who drive on them.
Paul has done a wonderful job of researching and sharing what he’s learned about LA freeways, and he provides the answers to lots of questions people have about them. Why do we insist on calling freeways “the (number of freeway)” instead of calling them by their names ( and, yes, they all have names- some have had several)? Why are they called freeways, anyway? (It’s not for the reason you might think.) What’s the difference between a freeway, an expressway, and a parkway? Who are some of the folks honored by having freeways, bridges, and interchanges named after them? What’s the story with freeways that have odd features on them, like staircases going down to platforms in the middle of the road, big pieces of land left untouched in the freeway median, and weirdly designed ramps and interchanges? Where were iconic scenes set on freeways from movies and TV shows filmed? There are some fascinating things to see on our freeways - you just need to know where to find them.
I have to admit I wasn’t sure that a book on freeways would hold my interest, but I was pleasantly surprised by “Freewaytopia”. Paul’s love and passion for freeways makes him a great tour guide for this literary LA road trip. The book drags here and there, but stick with it - there are some good stories, maybe even a few about the freeway you read (drive?) on. If you feel like taking a real LA freeway road trip, consider getting a copy of the audiobook, read by the author; the book won’t make your trip any faster, but at least you can look for some of the things Paul points out in his book as you drive. Recommended!
Paul’s book covers the fifty-plus year story of how the LA freeway system was created - from the Arroyo Seco Parkway in 1940 to the Century Freeway in the early 1990s. Along the way, we meet the politicians and architects who shepherded their construction, the homeowners and advocates who tried and sometimes succeeded in stopping them, and the assorted people who found themselves in the headlines because of them. We see the attitudes towards freeways change as the years pass; in the early years, most people saw them as a symbol of progress, speed, and efficiency, but in later years, misgivings and outright hostility grew with each new freeway built until the freeways became symbols of community destruction, health endangerment, and racism. While the era of building new freeways has come and gone (the focus is on expanding and maintaining the freeways we’ve got), they still have an impact - and not just on the people who drive on them.
Paul has done a wonderful job of researching and sharing what he’s learned about LA freeways, and he provides the answers to lots of questions people have about them. Why do we insist on calling freeways “the (number of freeway)” instead of calling them by their names ( and, yes, they all have names- some have had several)? Why are they called freeways, anyway? (It’s not for the reason you might think.) What’s the difference between a freeway, an expressway, and a parkway? Who are some of the folks honored by having freeways, bridges, and interchanges named after them? What’s the story with freeways that have odd features on them, like staircases going down to platforms in the middle of the road, big pieces of land left untouched in the freeway median, and weirdly designed ramps and interchanges? Where were iconic scenes set on freeways from movies and TV shows filmed? There are some fascinating things to see on our freeways - you just need to know where to find them.
I have to admit I wasn’t sure that a book on freeways would hold my interest, but I was pleasantly surprised by “Freewaytopia”. Paul’s love and passion for freeways makes him a great tour guide for this literary LA road trip. The book drags here and there, but stick with it - there are some good stories, maybe even a few about the freeway you read (drive?) on. If you feel like taking a real LA freeway road trip, consider getting a copy of the audiobook, read by the author; the book won’t make your trip any faster, but at least you can look for some of the things Paul points out in his book as you drive. Recommended!
June 1, 2023
For a person who has spent his adult life traveling the freeways of Los Angeles, this was a great book to place all of this concrete into context, and to remind me that world was not always so.
The narrative around freeways today is that they were designed to only traverse through communities of color that had no voice. While this is true, that is not the full story. In their heyday, freeways rolled over everything and when everywhere, even in the face of acute community resistance. They destroyed the beautiful areas like Eagle Rock (210), farmland, quaint valleys, cemeteries, and went through historic downtowns.
Haddad doesn’t draw this out in the book, but freeway construction points to a paradigm shift from the 1950’s and the construction of the 5, to the 1970’s with the construction of the 105. In the 50’s the state government rolled over the local government and smaller communities with a belief that the state represented the interests of the common good. Whereas, by the 1970’s the paradigm shifted to protecting the minority against the will of the majority. Harry Pregerson rode that last wave.
This book as a “just the facts,ma’am” type of storytelling, with some humor and lots of anecdotes thrown in along the way. Recommended for native Angelenos.
The narrative around freeways today is that they were designed to only traverse through communities of color that had no voice. While this is true, that is not the full story. In their heyday, freeways rolled over everything and when everywhere, even in the face of acute community resistance. They destroyed the beautiful areas like Eagle Rock (210), farmland, quaint valleys, cemeteries, and went through historic downtowns.
Haddad doesn’t draw this out in the book, but freeway construction points to a paradigm shift from the 1950’s and the construction of the 5, to the 1970’s with the construction of the 105. In the 50’s the state government rolled over the local government and smaller communities with a belief that the state represented the interests of the common good. Whereas, by the 1970’s the paradigm shifted to protecting the minority against the will of the majority. Harry Pregerson rode that last wave.
This book as a “just the facts,ma’am” type of storytelling, with some humor and lots of anecdotes thrown in along the way. Recommended for native Angelenos.
July 20, 2022
Very entertaining history of each of the freeways traversing Los Angeles. Perfect mix of humor, facts and anecdotes. Haddad covers each of the freeways in chronological order, starting with the Arroyo Seco & ending with what will probably be the last ever, the Century Freeway. Most interesting to me is the explanation as to why onramps coming from the left result in perpetually clogged interchanges, which I've seen myself on the 5 south to 134 east. I also liked the explanations for various oversized ramps and medians, usually intended for interchanges with never-built freeways.
A couple of omissions, though:
- No index
- Very minimal discussion of the long fight over the 710 extension that, by providing an easterly route around downtown, would have relieved crowding in the 5 bottleneck. I understand South Pasadena not wanting a freeway bisecting their town, but I thought the resistance to even a tunnel was selfish.
- Growing up I always heard that the 405 was routed far from Palos Verdes because of rich resident's complaints, I would have liked him to look into that story.
Overall, quite good! Probably not of big interest to anyone not living in or from LA, though.
A couple of omissions, though:
- No index
- Very minimal discussion of the long fight over the 710 extension that, by providing an easterly route around downtown, would have relieved crowding in the 5 bottleneck. I understand South Pasadena not wanting a freeway bisecting their town, but I thought the resistance to even a tunnel was selfish.
- Growing up I always heard that the 405 was routed far from Palos Verdes because of rich resident's complaints, I would have liked him to look into that story.
Overall, quite good! Probably not of big interest to anyone not living in or from LA, though.
April 24, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. Being a native Angeleno myself, it was fun to read how the highway system has shaped our city. I learned so much about our local history, and now I am reminded of different factoids the author shared whenever I drive on a particular part of a freeway related to such fact. I enjoyed the writing style, the author has an amusing and sometimes poetic way of expressing himself when describing landscapes and situations. This is something I definitely appreciated coming from literary background.
August 27, 2022
It’s made for a very specific audience I think: Angelenos who care about this city’s history. You don’t have to be well-versed in transportation or engineering and it’s a light enough read that anyone can enjoy it. It certainly helped that I was working at Caltrans while reading this and saw parallels with the bureaucracy and short-sightedness of a lot of city planning. It’s a very entertaining read and I see all of these historic freeways differently now every time I drive on them.
March 11, 2023
I found this book to be both informative and entertaining. The author was able to tell the story of freeways in Los Angeles covering the positive and negative aspects of their creation. I found the stories to be fun. The book was much more than just a history of the freeway system but was able to tell the story through interesting tidbits and anecdotes. Would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Los Angeles history.
August 1, 2024
Outstanding. I love Haddad's mix of deep research, light tone, and obvious love for CA. Now I know who some of these people are who have freeways named after them. Only problem is I wanted more -; Haddad kept it crisp but I could have read more of what is essentially a history of LA in the last century. If it were longer, it also might have included the 91
October 25, 2025
A revelatory dive into LA's asphalt veins. Vivid storytelling that captures the city's history through its freeways with passion and precision. Niche? Utterly, but that's the thrill.
Essential for Angelenos (or anyone hooked on urban lore).
Essential for Angelenos (or anyone hooked on urban lore).
May 2, 2022
Interesting stories about 12 freeways in the L.A. area. The writing is marred by cliché, an overabundance of ironic adjectives, irregular capitalization, and editing errors.
August 7, 2023
Would this interest a single person who doesn’t live in/didn’t grow up in L.A.? I don’t know! But that ain’t me, babyyyyy
August 13, 2023
Good reading
February 14, 2024
Interesting history. Makes me want to visit and get stuck in LA traffic just so I can see and experience all I've learned.
July 15, 2024
Love em or lump em, freeways are an quintessential part of the L.A. experience.
September 9, 2024
Lots of fun stories but I gotta dock a star for that Marina Freeway chapter
March 30, 2025
I liked this book. Good LA freeway stories, lots of fun trivia.
March 3, 2024
LA built too many freeways in a short period of time and nobody really knows how to navigate the future. There was a brief period of time around 1910 where a bicycle highway went from Pasadena to DTLA. It was torn down to build the 110 freeway
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews