George V. Voinovich Bridges

George V. Voinovich Bridges

The George V. Voinovich Bridges carry Interstate 90 across the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio.

History

Innerbelt Freeway and Bridge

The US Route 42 Innerbelt Freeway was conceptualized in 1940 to alleviate traffic congestion in downtown Cleveland. 20 It aimed to connect the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway along Lake Erie with the Willow Freeway and extend towards the Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport through a proposed Medina Freeway. 18 Planning for this freeway, stretching from East 30th Street to Abbey Avenue and West 14th Street in the Tremont neighborhood, commenced in 1944. Authorization to construct the Innerbelt Freeway was granted in 1949.

The acquisition of the required right-of-way for the 3¼-mile project involved purchasing 1,250 land parcels at a total cost of $22.5 million. 18 21 The estimated total cost for land acquisition and construction was projected to exceed $75 million. The federal government funded 90% of the project, with the state and city contributing 5% each. The construction of the segment from Superior Avenue to Shoreway, scheduled for 1956, was estimated to cost $14 million, while the section from East 30th Street to Superior Avenue, slated for a 1957 start, was budgeted at $12 million. 20

Construction of the Innerbelt Freeway’s centerpiece, an eight-lane bridge over the Cuyahoga River south of the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, began on December 12, 1954. 18 Completed at a cost of $26 million, the new Innerbelt Bridge opened on August 18, 1959, becoming the widest bridge in Ohio at that time. 2

The next portion of the Innerbelt Freeway, from Shoreway to Chester Avenue, opened on December 17, 1959. 21 The central segment, connecting Chester Avenue to the Innerbelt Bridge and the Willow Freeway, commenced construction in late 1959 and opened on December 5, 1961. 18 The entire Innerbelt Freeway, integral to completing Interstates 71, 77, and 90 in Ohio, was finished at a cost of $75 million and fully opened on August 1, 1962. 21

From July 1983 to June 1985, the Horvitz Company constructed a 1,500-foot acceleration lane for the West 14th Street ramp on the Innerbelt Bridge, costing $6.1 million. 22 The company also won the contract to install a new latex concrete deck overlay by July 1984 for $2.4 million.

A computerized inspection in November 2008 revealed stress on the steel trusses of the bridge, leading to the closure of outer lanes and a ban on commercial truck traffic. 2 3-D imaging technology used by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) showed extreme stress on various steel elements, rendering them unable to support full traffic loads. Due to the bridge’s fracture-critical design, failure of any superstructure element could result in total collapse. The West 14th Street acceleration lane, added 23 years earlier, was also contributing excessive stress. 17 Consequently, ODOT abandoned a $240 million rehabilitation plan that would have extended the bridge’s lifespan by 30 years. 2

In 2009, to facilitate $10 million in steel repairs, including the installation of steel plates for reinforcement and the removal of the West 14th Street acceleration lane, the bridge was partially closed with two lanes open in each direction from September 1 to November 1. 2 17 All lanes were reopened on November 25, with trucks permitted on the westbound lanes. 3 4 By mid-2010, trucks were also allowed on the eastbound lanes.

George V. Voinovich Bridges

Due to the structural deterioration of the existing Innerbelt Bridge, plans for its rehabilitation were abandoned. In March 2009, ODOT announced plans to construct a new westbound Innerbelt Bridge, to be followed by a parallel eastbound crossing. 3 Funding for the new westbound bridge included $85 million from federal transportation stimulus funds via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, along with an additional $200 million in federal funds. 17 The project was expected to cost $287.4 million. 14

In September 2009, a Record of Decision was issued in favor of a bridge proposal. 6 8 This proposal encompassed 35 new mainline, ramp, and overhead bridges, 18 mainline and ramp deck replacements, a westbound Innerbelt Bridge with a total length of 3,371 feet and a main span of 800 feet, and an eastbound Innerbelt Bridge with a total length of 3,053 feet and the same main span length. 7 Additionally, it included 3.24 miles of Innerbelt Freeway reconstruction. 5 6 The river crossings were designed with a steel delta frame. 19

In September 2010, Walsh Construction and designer HNTB Ohio Inc. were awarded the construction contract for the project, valued at $287.4 million. 15 The project utilized a design-build process, integrating design and construction into a single contract to expedite the timeline by nearly a year. 5 Construction on the westbound Innerbelt Bridge commenced on March 30, 2011, 14 with a groundbreaking ceremony held on May 2. 15

The westbound Innerbelt Bridge was dedicated to George Voinovich during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 8, 2013. 23 It opened to Ontario Street ramp traffic on November 9 24 and to Interstate 90 westbound traffic on November 17. 25 The bridge began accommodating eastbound Interstate 90 traffic, which used the westbound bridge temporarily, on November 23. 26

Following the dismantling of the old Innerbelt Bridge on November 3, 2014, construction of the eastbound Voinovich Bridge began. 27 It opened in a limited capacity on September 24, 2016, 28 and was fully completed by October 24. 29

Gallery

Information

  • State: Ohio
  • Route: Interstate 90
  • Type: Delta Girder
  • Status: Active - Automobile
  • Total Length: 4,223' (1959); 3,918'/4,347' (2013)
  • Main Span Length: 116' (1959); 800' (2013)
  • Total Height: 136' (2013)

Sources

  1. “Central Viaduct.” The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. N.p.: Case Western Reserve University, n.d. Web. 23 July 2012. Article.
  2. Miller, Deborah. “3-D imaging set off lane closures, Inner Belt Bridge rehab.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 27 Aug. 2009. 23 July 2012. Article.
  3. “Innerbelt Bridge Lanes/Ramps Reopened Today.” Ohio Department of Transportation, 25 Nov. 2009. 23 July 2012. Article.
  4. “Inner Belt Bridge lanes to reopen, but not to trucks going east.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 11 Aug. 2009. 23 July 2012. Article.
  5. “Cleveland’s Innerbelt Bridge.” Ohio Department of Transportation, n.d. 23 July 2012. Article.
  6. Bauer, Patrick A. “Record of Decision.” Letter to Jolene M. Molitoris. 18 Sept. 2009. Ohio Department of Transportation. Web. 23 July 2012. Letter.
  7. Record of Decision, Section 4(f) Approval, and Interchange Justification Study Approval. Research rept. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Ohio Department of Transportation. Web. 23 July 2012. Report.
  8. “ODOT Receives Federal Approval to Proceed with Innerbelt Project.” Ohio Department of Transportation, n.d. 18 Sept. 2009. Article.
  9. Farkas, Karen. ”Construction of new Inner Belt Bridge likely will cause traffic tie-ups for many years.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 1 Dec. 2009. 23 July 2012. Article.
  10. Breckenridge, Tom. “Cleveland’s business, traffic would suffer if 2nd Inner Belt Bridge is delayed a decade, officials say.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 17 Jan. 2012. 23 July 2012. Article.
  11. Breckenridge, Tom. “Funding for second Inner Belt Bridge could take a back seat to statewide projects.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 29 Jan. 2012. 23 July 2012. Article.
  12. Amigo, Elisa. “Innerbelt Bridge Project Moved up to 2016.” FOX-8 [Cleveland], 6 June 2012. 23 July 2012. Article.
  13. Breckenridge, Tom. “Cleveland’s 2nd Inner Belt Bridge could be built 7 years earlier than expected.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 6 June 2012. 23 July 2012. Article.
  14. Breckenridge, Tom. “Inner Belt Bridge construction begins as massive supports are hammered into bedrock.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 30 Mar. 2011. 23 July 2012. Article.
  15. “Innerbelt Bridge Ceremonial Groundbreaking Held Today.” Ohio Department of Transportation, n.d. 2 My 2011. Article.
  16. McCarty, James F. “Cleveland’s new Inner Belt Bridge will honor outgoing U.S. Senator George Voinovich.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 18 Dec. 2010. 23 July 2012. Article.
  17. “Farkas, Karen. “New Inner Belt Bridge in Cleveland will be built year earlier than expected; ODOT picks construction and design team.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 10 Sept. 2010. 23 July 2012. Article.
  18. “Innerbelt Freeway.” The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. N.p.: Case Western Reserve University, 26 June 1997. Web. 23 July 2012. Article.
  19. “Baker to Design New Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge.” Michael Baker Construction, 21 June 2011. Web. 23 June 2012. Article.
  20. “Ohio Unveils 279-Million Highway Program.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 3 Dec. 1954, 19. Print.
  21. Boyer, Dwight. “$25,000,000 a mile!” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 21 July 1957, 15-17. Print.
  22. “Road, bridge work worth $10.3 million includes I-90 bridge.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland] 8 July 1983, 71. Print.
  23. Grant, Alison. “Inner Belt Bridge Brings Crowd of Onlookers with Cameras, Babies in Strollers.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 8 Nov. 2013.
  24. Volante, Monica. “Innerbelt Bridge Open in Both Directions.” WJW-TV [Cleveland], 9 Nov. 2013.
  25. “Attention Motorists: I-90 west is open and as of 8a this morning, westbound traffic is on the NEW #Innerbelt….” Ohio Department of Transportation, 17 Nov. 2013.
  26. “Interstate 90 Now OPEN: All Traffic on NEW Innerbelt Bridge!” Ohio Department of Transportation, 23 Nov. 2013.
  27. Fong, Marvin. “Second Inner Belt bridge work continues in Cleveland.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 3 Nov. 2014.
  28. “Those fireworks in the background are probably for the @Indians, however it could also be to let you know the EB bridge is open to traffic!” Ohio Department of Transportation, 24 Sept. 2016.
  29. Christ, Ginger. “Inner Belt Bridge is completely open today.” Plain Dealer [Cleveland], 24 Oct. 2016.

1 thought on “George V. Voinovich Bridges”

  1. Are you able to confirm what the cost of demolition of the original (1959 bridge was)? …also, was the original bridge dismantled primarily because of extensive corrosion?

    Reply

Leave a Reply