Interstate 480 (I-480) is a 41.77 mi auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-80 in the US state of Ohio that passes through much of the Greater Cleveland area, including the southern parts of the city of Cleveland. I-480 is one of 13 auxiliary Interstate Highways in the state. The western terminus of I-480 is an interchange with I-80 and the Ohio Turnpike in North Ridgeville. Starting east through suburban Lorain County, I-480 enters Cuyahoga County, then approaches Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which serves as the primary airport for Northeast Ohio. After traversing Brooklyn and crossing the Cuyahoga River on the Valley View Bridge, the highway continues east toward the communities of Bedford and Twinsburg toward its eastern terminus at I-80 and the Ohio Turnpike in Streetsboro. On its route, I-480 crosses I-71 and I-77 and is concurrent with I-271 for approximately 4 mi. 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 US senator from Ohio for 24 years. Parts of I-480 were to have been I-271 and/or I-80N.

Route description

The freeway runs concurrently with I-271 for 2 mi. I-271 and I-480 were the only two auxiliary Interstates in the nation that ran concurrently with each other for any distance until 2022, when concurrencies between I-587 and I-795 and I-785 and I-840 in North Carolina were established with the designation of I-587 and the completion of the Greensboro Urban Loop. 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, congestion is common during peak times. They run concurrently through Bedford Heights, Bedford, and Oakwood in Cuyahoga County. Because of that, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) started a $120-million (equivalent to $ in ) widening project in 2016, separating I-271 traffic from I-480 traffic. The project was completed in 2020. The Valley View Bridge, which is 212 ft high and spans 4150 ft, carries I-480 across the Cuyahoga River valley. It is the busiest crossing in the state of Ohio with approximately 180,000 cars per day.

History

I-480 was conceived as a means of giving motorists a faster way of crossing Cleveland's southern borders and suburbs. The first segment of the route was partially concurrent with I-271 and constructed simultaneously with that highway in 1965. Planning for the route was largely finished by 1968, and construction began on its first mile (1 mi) began at the highway's interchange with I-77 in 1970. The segment from Bedford west to Maple Heights opened in November 1976. The segment from Maple Heights west to Brooklyn Heights opened in January 1978. Construction from west to east began as political controversies and engineering work were resolved on the highway's middle section. I-480 between I-80 and I-71 was completed in 1983. The 2 mi of the route north and northeast of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport proved the most difficult to plan due to existing high levels of traffic on Brookpark Road and the expansion requirements of the airport. The final $115-million (equivalent to $ in ), 2.5 mi segment linking the east and west ends of I-480 was finished in August 1987.

Exit list

Interstate 480N

Interstate 480N (I-480N) is officially designated as the spur freeway connecting I-480 to I-271 and US Route 422 (US 422) by ODOT. The highway lacks conventional confirming markers; the only shields for the route are on milemarkers. Other guide signs only refer to the routes at I-480N's termini.