World Art Utopia

Civic Musical Road — Lancaster

A wide desert road in Lancaster, California, with a patch of grooves cut across the left lane: the Civic Musical Road seen from a car.
Artwork FileLancaster, United States

Civic Musical Road

StandingJun 2023

Made for Honda · 2008 · Avenue G, Lancaster, California

Photo: snolygoster / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0), as published in Street Art Utopia; still frame from the video, cropped.

Cut into westbound Avenue G in Lancaster, California, the Civic Musical Road uses spaced grooves to make car tires play the finale of Rossini's William Tell Overture at about 55 mph. It was first cut on Avenue K in September 2008 for a Honda Civic commercial, paved over after nearby residents complained about the noise, and re-created on more secluded Avenue G that October. The melody is still reported to sound out of tune; Wikipedia puts it down to a miscalculation in the groove spacing. Source Source Source Source Checked

Standing Jun 2023: the Lancaster Museum of Art and History wrote on 28 June 2023 that the road was moved to a more secluded stretch of Avenue G, where it remains. Source Checked

💡 4 things to know

  1. Paved over on 23 SeptemberFirst cut on Avenue K between 60th and 70th Streets on September 5, 2008, the grooves drew resident noise complaints and were paved over on September 23. Source Reported
  2. Rebuilt two miles away on Avenue GA team re-created the Musical Road two miles away on Avenue G in October 2008. The melody is still reported to sound out of tune. Source Reported
  3. Built for a 55 mph driveDrivers should take the far left lane at about 55 mph, which Atlas Obscura says is also the posted speed limit. Source Checked
  4. Why it sounds offWikipedia attributes the off-key tune to the groove spacing: the intervals are so far apart that the melody bears only a slight resemblance to the William Tell Overture. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

On westbound Avenue G between 30th and 40th Streets West in Lancaster, California, United States. Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map at Avenue G in Lancaster, California.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 20085 Sep

    Road opened on Avenue K · Lancaster MOAH

  2. 200823 Sep

    Avenue K stretch paved over after noise complaints · Los Angeles Explorers Guild

  3. 202116 Apr

    Blog post on the road · Los Angeles Explorers Guild

  4. 202328 Jun

    Lancaster MOAH: the road remains on Avenue G

Green stamps mark dated photographs (the date given on the photo’s page); amber stamps mark records, events and reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not photo dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Lancaster Museum of Art and History28 June 2023

The History of Musical Roads

“As many residents remember, the road was first opened on September 5, 2008, along Avenue K”

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Made for
Honda (Civic advertising campaign) Source Checked
First opened
September 5, 2008 (Avenue K) Source Checked
Relocated
Re-cut from Oct 15, 2008 (Guild, Wikipedia); MOAH says reopened Oct 12 Source Source Source Conflicting
Melody
Finale of Rossini's William Tell Overture Source Checked
Target speed
About 55 mph, far left lane Source Checked
Location
Avenue G between 30th and 40th Streets West, Lancaster, California Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 11 November 2026 · How we verify art