Tuesday, December 3, 2013

2 & 5 Freeway Interchange: 1961 Massive Grading Project

Photo: Smith, 1961.  From El Moran & Peru Streets in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. The State built up a massive wall of dirt for the 2 Freeway.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The huge cut into the Corralitas hillside is more evident in this photo than the photo we reviewed for the past few days.  Keep in mind, Corralitas Drive drops below the level of the freeway to meet Rosebud Ave under the Freeway. Take a look at the 1940 photo to try to understand the complete reshaping of the landscape imposed on our neighborhood. 

The slope reshaping/stabilization continued downslope between Corralitas Drive and the Southbound 2 Freeway lanes (below the oldest house on Corralitas), stretching down to Riverside Drive below.  Since the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) didn't take effect until 1972, it's a good bet they did not use adequate dust control measures. 

If you can match the above photo from a time before the freeways were built, please send it to redcarproperty@gmail.com with any details like year, photographer, if it was in your family's photo album, etc. 
Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  I don't have a good match in my archives for the 1961 shot because the trees on Modjeska block the matching shot.