Existed: 1971 – present Length 67.22 km | Constructed 1971 | |
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West end: I-80 / Ohio Turnpike in North Ridgeville East end: I-80 / Ohio Turnpike / SR 14 in Streetsboro | ||
Interstate 480 (I-480) is a 41.77-mile-long (67.22 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-80 that bypasses the city of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. I-480 is one of 13 auxiliary Interstate Highways in Ohio. The western terminus of I-480 is an interchange with I-80 in North Ridgeville. Starting east through suburban Lorain County, I-480 enters Cuyahoga County. I-480 then approaches the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which serves as the primary airport for the Greater Cleveland area. After traversing Brooklyn and crossing the Cuyahoga River on the Valley View Bridge, the highway continues east towards the communities of Bedford and Twinsburg toward its eastern terminus at I-80 in Streetsboro. On its route, I-480 crosses interstates I-71, I-77 and I-271. In 1998, the Governor of Ohio, George Voinovich, gave I-480 the additional name of the "Senator John Glenn Highway", in honor of the former NASA astronaut and a U.S. Senator from Ohio for 24 years.
Contents
Map of I-480, Ohio, USA
Parts of I-480 were to have been I-271 and/or Interstate 80N.
Route description
The freeway is concurrent with I-271 for two miles. I-271 and I-480 are the only two three-digit interstates in the nation that run concurrently with each other for any distance. This is because I-80 was concurrent with I-271 until 1971, when I-80 was routed back on to the turnpike and replaced by I-480.
Due to the convergence of these high traffic roads traffic jams are common during peak times. They run concurrent through Bedford Heights, Bedford, and Oakwood in Cuyahoga County.
The Valley View Bridge, which is 212 feet (65 m) high and spans 4,150 feet (1,260 m), carries I-480 across the Cuyahoga River valley.
Interstate 480N
The spur freeway connecting I-480 to I-271 and US 422 is officially designated as Interstate 480N, by the Ohio Department of Transportation. It is rarely referred by this name. It is currently unsigned, with the exception of mile markers.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Cuyahoga County.