Length: 163.03 mi (262.37 km) | North end: I-90 in Cleveland | |
 | ||
South end: I‑77 at West Virginia state line Counties: Washington, Noble, Guernsey, Tuscarawas, Stark, Summit, Cuyahoga | ||
Interstate 77 (I-77) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Route 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachians. The southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90.
Contents
Route description
Entering from West Virginia at Marietta via the Marietta–Williamstown Interstate Bridge, Interstate 77 passes through rolling Appalachian terrain.
The interchange with I-70 at Cambridge was noted on the cover of the 1969 Ohio Department of Highways official highway map as being the "World's Largest Interchange", covering over 300 acres (1.2 km2) of land.
Other major Interstate Highways I-77 connects with in Ohio are I-76, I-80 (Ohio Turnpike), and I-90. The interchange with the Ohio Turnpike was completed December 3, 2001, providing direct access; previously, traffic had to exit at Ohio State Route 21 to get to the Turnpike.
Interstate 77 is also known as the "Vietnam Veterans' of America Highway" in Ohio, and the Willow Freeway in Greater Cleveland.
History
Officially designated to run from Port Huron to Charlotte, I-77 appeared on the original Interstate system route numbering plan in 1957. The part of Interstate 94 from Detroit northeast to Port Huron, Michigan was originally planned as I-77 in 1957; the current I-77 was I-79. When the current Interstate 79 was added in Pennsylvania, the I-77 designation was moved to its current route, but the I-77 in Michigan also remained in the 1958 numbering plan, so the designation followed Interstate 90 and Interstate 75 in order to keep it continuous; the designation north of I-77's westward turn was to have been Interstate 177. I-77 in Michigan later became part of I-94.
Interstate 77 Alternate
Interstate 77 Alternate is the designation of an Interstate route in Summit County. The route follows I-76 westbound from I-277 in Akron, then follows SR 21 northbound in Norton. The route terminates at I-77 in Copley Township.