Pollution Box

During World War II, Los Angeles grew at a faster pace than any other American metropolitan as it became the center for manufacturing in aircrafts, war supplies and ammunitions. The city’s infrastructure was overrun and city officials began to rethink how the city could accommodate its larger population. A public debate arose over whether the city should focus its resources on upgrading its rail transit system or building freeways like the 1940 Arroyo Seco Parkway. Soon, surrounding cities began to call for a comprehensive web of freeways that would funnel people, in their cars, from one section of the city to another section. By 1947, a new plan was forged and construction of this new transportation began. Today, four of the freeways—Interstates 5 and 10, US Highway 101, and State Route 60—run through Boyle Heights. These freeways produce several forms of pollution, including air pollution, noise pollution, visual pollution, and littering.