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Traffic changes coming to I-480 Valley View Bridge as construction project continues

Westbound traffic on I-480 will shift onto the new Valley View Bridge starting this weekend.

CLEVELAND — Editor's Note: The above video is from previous reporting on the Valley View Bridge project

Progress continues to be made on the I-480 Valley View Bridge project.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Walsh Construction design-build team announced that they had passed another milestone with the replacement of the driving surface on the existing eastbound bridge.

Since fall 2020, eastbound traffic was shifted onto the new Valley View Bridge. This allowed work to progress on the existing eastbound bridge without affecting traffic. Last week, eastbound traffic shifted back to the newly rehabilitated eastbound bridge. 

“Thanks to the planning of District 12 employees, the work on Ohio’s busiest bridge has had a minimal impact on traffic and allowed for the easy movement of people and goods throughout the area,” said ODOT District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri in a statement.

Starting this weekend, westbound traffic will shift to the new Valley View Bridge.

Beginning Friday night through Monday morning, there will be several closures and restrictions to facilitate the westbound traffic shift:

  • I-480 westbound to I-77 northbound and southbound ramps will be closed from 7 p.m. on Friday, September 10 through Monday, September 13, at 6 a.m.
    • Detour will be I-480 east to State Rd. to I-480 west
  • I-480 between I-77 and Transportation Blvd. will have various off-peak lane restrictions on Friday, September 10, beginning at 7 p.m. through Monday, September 13, at 6 a.m.
  • Transportation Blvd. entrance ramp to I-480 westbound will be closed from 7 p.m. on Friday, September 10 through Monday, September 13, at 6 a.m.
  • Beginning Monday, September 13, all I-480 westbound traffic will officially be traveling on the new I-480 Valley View Bridge through Summer 2022, as crews work on the existing I-480 westbound bridge. Westbound traffic will still have access to the I-77 interchange and exit to Transportation Blvd.

Work to replace the driving surface of the westbound bridge will begin in mid-September and continue through the summer of 2022.

“Seeing a project of this magnitude continue meeting milestones while working through a pandemic speaks volumes about the hard work of everyone involved,” said Governor Mike DeWine in a statement. “Maintaining and improving our infrastructure makes traveling safer by improving the flow of traffic, which will ultimately reduce crashes.”

Work remaining on the project includes the painting of the structures and creation of the final traffic pattern on the new bridge. In its final configuration, the new bridge will carry two lanes of traffic in each direction. The two westbound lanes on the new bridge will bypass the I-77 interchange for motorists continuing on I-480. In the eastbound direction, the two lanes on the new bridge will bypass the Transportation Boulevard exit.

All three bridges are expected to be open to traffic in fall 2023.

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