Music on the Road in Lancaster

Enjoy music?

Ever give any thought to driving on a musical road?

Probably not, yet our neighboring city of Lancaster has boasting rights to just such an attraction. There are musical roads in Japan, South Korea and Holland but Lancaster, to date, claims fame to the only one in the United States.

The summer of 2008, a commercial sponsored by Honda Motor. Co., Inc. built the musical road on Avenue K in Lancaster. Grooves were cut in the road on a quarter-mile strip. The cuts were engineered to play the notes of the “William Tell Overture,” better know as the theme song for “The Lone Ranger.” It was short-lived and two weeks later it was paved over, due to complaints from neighbors. Sleepless nights and “crazy behavior” of some of the drivers was annoying, and it appeared the road would become a faint memory in Lancaster history.

Then the city began to receive hundreds of calls, lauding the road. The decision was made to relocate the road in an industrial area, away from residential homes. The original road on Avenue K was thought to be far enough away from residential homes to not be a sound issue but sound carries far, across the high-desert landscape. The new location, on Avenue G is over two miles from residential homes.

Mayor R. Rex Parris said “This unique and innovative attraction is a valuable addition to our City, attracting new visitors and increasing Lancaster’s notoriety. Not only is the road fun and entertaining, but it is an extraordinary engineering feat which brings a new source of pride to our community.”

“You drove over it and you didn’t know what to expect. When we got to the end of it, I was smiling ear to ear,” stated one visitor.

The Musical Road is located at 3187 West Avenue G. West of the 14 Freeway is stressed, so visitors don’t unhappily drive six miles in the wrong direction. Many drivers have tried multiple speeds, but visitors wanting to experience the musical piece at is best, must stay in the far left lane of the three-lane road and maintain the posted 55 MPH speed limit, for optimal sound effect.

There is signage indicating when you have arrived. Unusual in today’s world, it is free. If one continues on Avenue G and has brought a picnic lunch, one can make a day of a short musical experience at Apollo Park.

Several YouTube vidoes online can provide a preview. “Honda Civic Musical Road in Lancaster, CA” on YouTube seems to be one of the best. It is a short-lived experience, but not one to be found anywhere else in the U.S.