Obama Drove Here
Roughly five-miles of the 134 freeway, including the stretch in Eagle Rock between Pasadena and Glendale, is now officially the “President Barack H. Obama Highway.” Two large freeway signs announcing the new name were unveiled on Dec. 20, one on westbound 134 at Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena and one on the eastbound 134 near Route 2.
It is assumed that former President Obama traveled this section of the freeway in the early 1980s when he lived in Pasadena while attending Occidental College in Eagle Rock.
The renaming is the culmination of a two-year effort, launched by Eagle Rock’s then-State Assemblymember (now U.S. Congressman) Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, and state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge. The construction and installation of the signs – which cost about $5,000, according to Caltrans – was paid for by private donations.
– T.A. Hendrickson
