A 3,400-foot girder bridge carries Interstate 490 over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio.
History
Interstate 490, also known as the Clark Freeway, is a 2.4-mile freeway in Cleveland, Ohio, linking Interstate 90 with East 55th Street, where it transitions into OH Route 10 (Opportunity Corridor). Central to the highway is the Cuyahoga River bridge.
In December 1963, County Engineer Albert Porter proposed the nine-mile Clark Freeway. 3 It was planned to extend from the Northwest Freeway eastward along the Shaker Lakes to Interstate 271 at Pepper Pike. This eight-lane freeway would have required the demolition of 80 homes and five commercial properties in Shaker Heights and several parks along Doan Brook.
Porter’s plan also included the Heights Freeway through East Cleveland and other communities, the Central Freeway in Cleveland Heights, and the Lee Freeway connecting the Clark Freeway with Interstates 90 and 480. 3 These expansions were projected to demolish over 1,000 homes, prompting widespread opposition.
Governor James Rhodes ultimately assured that the Clark Freeway would not be built, despite Porter’s advocacy. 3 By 1968, a revised northern alignment through Richmond Heights and Highland Heights was proposed but faced significant local resistance. In December 1969, Porter convinced the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Committee to consider a highway through Shaker Heights.
However, in February 1970, Governor Rhodes canceled the plans for the Clark Freeway east of East 55th Street and the Lee Freeway. 3
On November 10, 1973, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials approved the redesignation of Interstate 290 to Interstate 490, altering the eastern terminus from Interstate 271 and Shaker Heights to Interstate 480 at Maple Heights. 2
Interstate 90 was realigned to follow the Northwest Freeway and the Innerbelt over the Cuyahoga River, with the central segment of the Clark Freeway between Interstates 71 and East 55th Street opening in 1990. 4 This included the construction of a 3,462-foot girder bridge over the Cuyahoga River.
In 2000, the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Cleveland Innerbelt study proposed two alternatives to connect Interstate 490 with the University Circle neighborhood. 2 One proposal was a $1.5 billion freeway along the railroad right-of-way, while the second was a $160 million at-grade boulevard between Interstate 490 and East 105th Street.
The boulevard concept evolved into the Opportunity Corridor by 2004, with a preferred alternative identified in July 2011. 2 This $331 million public-private partnership aimed to redevelop underutilized lands along the corridor. The Federal Highway Administration approved the Environmental Impact Statement and issued a Record of Decision in May 2014.
Construction of the Opportunity Corridor began in the winter of 2015, culminating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 3, 2021. 2 It opened to traffic on November 12 as OH Route 10.
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans a comprehensive rehabilitation of Interstate 490, including interchange reconstructions, for 2024-26 at a cost of $39.8 million. 1 The Cuyahoga River bridge is also scheduled for repairs.
Gallery
Information
- State: Ohio
- Route: Interstate 490
- Type: Plate Girder
- Status: Active - Automobile
- Total Length: 3,462'
- Main Span Length: 340'
- Deck Width: 138'
- Roadway Width: 135'
- Navigational Clearance: 98.4'
Sources
- “I-490 Major Rehab.” Ohio Department of Transportation.
- “Interstate 490 Ohio.” Interstate Guide, 1 Jul. 2022.
- Morton, Marian. “The Clark, Lee and Heights Freeways.” Cleveland Heights Historical Society.
- Thoma, Pauline. “Ceremony gets I-490 on road; Long-awaited bridge opens for business.” The Plain Dealer, 12 Sept. 1990.