Interstate 271

Interstate 271
Outerbelt East Freeway
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-71
Maintained by Ohio DOT
Length:	46.06 mi[1] (74.13 km)
Existed:	1964 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-71 in Medina Township
	I-77 / SR 21 in Richfield I-480 / SR 14 in Oakwood I-480 / US 422 in Bedford Heights
North end:	I-90 in Willoughby Hills
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Ohio Highways Interstate U.S. State Former Scenic ← SR 270 SR 271 →

Interstate 271 (I-271) is an auxiliary interstate highway in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron in the U.S. state of Ohio. The highway is officially designated the Outerbelt East Freeway, but rarely referred to by that name.

Route description

The highway runs from a junction with I-71 in Medina Township to I-90 in Willoughby Hills, intersecting I-480 (and running jointly with it for a short stretch). The width varies from point to point, but is mostly four to six lanes wide south of I-480 and eight to twelve lanes wide north of I-480; there it is divided into express and local lanes.

The local-express lanes begin at the southern interchange of US-422 and continue northward slightly beyond the end of I-271. The northbound express lanes allow access to all exits (excluding Chagrin Boulevard, Harvard Road, and SR 175, a southbound-only exit). The southbound express lanes bypass all exits except for one combined exit for Chagrin Boulevard (west US-422), Harvard Road, Richmond Road (SR 175) and US-422 (east) interchange. The lanes then become the mainline of I-480N which in turn becomes I-480 westbound.

Interstate 271 does not have a direct interchange with Interstate 80 – one of only a few examples of Interstate Highways that cross but do not intersect. Another example is in Toledo where Interstate 475 crosses Interstate 80/90 but does not intersect with it. The 271/480 section is the only instance of a concurrency of two three-digit Interstate Highways. 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.

History

I-271/I-480 north of the Broadway/Forbes interchange in 2002

Interstate 290 was to have followed the northern end of I-271. I-271 itself was to have followed I-480N and I-480 westward to I-71.^[2]

Interstate 271's express lanes were added between 1993 and 1995, with related projects continuing through 1998.^[3][4]

For many years, the interchange with State Route 8 was only partially complete. The northbound exit and southbound entrance ramps connected with both directions of State Route 8, but southbound I-271 could only access State Route 8 southbound (though later both directions were accessible^[5]), and only northbound State Route 8 could access I-271 northbound. To compensate for the missing movements, a half-diamond was built at State Route 82. The I-271/State Route 8 interchange underwent reconstruction in 2008–2009 that turned it into a complete interchange allowing all movements.^[6][7][8]

Similarly, travelers going to and from the north on I-271 had to take surface streets to get to and from the west on I-480 in Cuyahoga County. This link is now covered by unsigned I-480N.

I-271 Rebuilding and Widening program

The need for the I-271 widening project between Miles Road and the Summit County line was identified in March 2002. Interstate 271 will be widened from two to three lanes north and southbound between Miles Road and Columbus Road and from three to five lanes north and southbound between Columbus Road and the I-480/I-271 split near the Summit County line. Construction will last two years and includes replacement of the existing pavement, noise walls, lighting and signing. A similar project to widen I-271 from two to three lanes will be constructed in Summit County between the Cuyahoga County line and SR 8 and will improve access to the Ohio Turnpike. That project is scheduled to begin in 2014 and be complete in 2016.^[9]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[10]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Medina	Medina Township	0.00	0.00	1	I-71 south – Columbus	Southern terminus
		3.52	5.66	3	SR 94 (Ridge Road) to I-71 north
Summit	Richfield	8	13	Rest Area
		9.52	15.32	9	Brecksville Road to I-77 south / SR 21 south	Northbound exit; southbound entrance
	Richfield Township	10.15	16.33	10	I-77 / SR 21 – Cleveland, Akron, Columbus	Same-directional movements only
		12.59	20.26	12	SR 303 (Streetsboro Road) – Richfield, Peninsula
	Boston Township			Bridges over/under I-80 / Ohio Turnpike; no access to turnpike
	Macedonia	18.44	29.68	18	SR 8 to SR 82 – Macedonia, Northfield, Boston Heights, Akron	Southbound signed as SR 8 only southbound; signed as left exit 18A (south) and exit 18B (north) southbound
		19.22	30.93	19	SR 82 (East Aurora Road) – Macedonia, Twinsburg	Southbound exit; northbound entrance
Cuyahoga	Oakwood	21.84	35.15	21	I-480 east / SR 14 east – Youngstown	Southern terminus of concurrency with I-480 / SR 14; southbound exit; northbound entrance
	Bedford	23.28	37.47	23	SR 14 west (Broadway Avenue) / Forbes Road	Northern terminus of concurrency with SR 14
	Bedford Heights	25.87	41.63	26A-B	I-480 west / Rockside Road – Cleveland	Northern terminus of concurrency with I-480; northbound exit; southbound entrance
				26	Rockside Road	Southbound exit; northbound entrance
		27.01	43.47	27A	US 422 / Miles Road – Warren, Bedford Heights, North Randall	Southern terminus of concurrency with US 422; access to US 422 via unsigned I-480N; Miles Rd. (signed separately as exit 27B) not signed southbound; I-480N exit 13A; US 422 exit 13B
		27.6	44.4	—	I-271 north (Express Lanes) to I-90 – Erie Pa.	Northbound exit; southbound entrance; south end of Express Lanes
		27.8	44.7	—	I-480 west – Toledo	Southbound exit; northbound entrance for Express Lanes only; access via unsigned I-480N
		27.94	44.97	27B	I-480 west – Toledo	Southbound exit; northbound entrance; access via unsigned I-480N
		28.08	45.19	28A	SR 175 (Richmond Road) / Emery Road	Southbound exit; northbound entrance; remaining movements are via exit 27B
	Orange	29.01	46.69	28B	Harvard Road
	Beachwood	29.96	48.22	29	US 422 west / SR 87 east (Chagrin Boulevard)	Northern terminus of concurrency with US 422
		31.2	50.2	—	I-271 north (Express Lanes) to I-90	Northbound exit; southbound entrance
		31.8	51.2	—	I-271 south (Express Lanes) to I-480	Southbound exit; northbound entrance
	Lyndhurst	32.92	52.98	32	Cedar Road / Brainard Road
	Mayfield Heights	33.2	53.4	—	I-271 south (Express Lanes) to I-480	Southbound exit; northbound entrance
		34.98	56.29	34	US 322 (Mayfield Road)
	Highland Heights	36.31	58.44	36	Wilson Mills Road
	Highland Heights–Mayfield line	37.6	60.5	—	I-90 east – Erie Pa.	Northbound exit; southbound entrance for Express Lanes only; I-90 exit 190
		37.8	60.8	—	I-271 south (Express Lanes) to I-480	Southbound exit; northbound entrance
Lake	Willoughby Hills	40.22	64.73	40	I-90 to SR 91 – Cleveland, Erie Pa.	Northern terminus; exit 188 on I-90; express lanes end on I-90
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Route 271

Auxiliary routes of Interstate 71
Kentucky 471 Ohio 271 471