Stretch of 210 Freeway in Pasadena to be named for Jackie Robinson

PASADENA, Calif (KABC) -- A stretch of the 210 Freeway near where Jackie Robinson grew up has been renamed for the Brooklyn Dodgers legend and civil-rights pioneer.

Robinson, who grew up in Pasadena and attended UCLA, broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and had his number, 42, retired by MLB for every team in the league.

The 4.2-mile stretch of the 210 from Gould Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard will be renamed the "Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway."

"Jackie Robinson is not only an inspiring figure to us for his accomplishments in athletics, but also as a civil-rights-era trailblazer who advocated for social change," said Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank, who coauthored the bill to honor Robinson. "His contributions to baseball and society have made an everlasting impression on our nation."