Valley View Bridge

Valley View Bridge

Valley View Bridge as viewed from the east
Coordinates 41°24′31″N 81°38′02″W / 41.408552°N 81.633843°W / 41.408552; -81.633843 (Valley View Bridge)Coordinates: 41°24′31″N 81°38′02″W / 41.408552°N 81.633843°W / 41.408552; -81.633843 (Valley View Bridge)
Carries I-480
Crosses Cuyahoga River
Ohio and Erie Canal
Csx Rail Line
Canal Road
W. Canal Road
Ohio/Erie Towpath Trail
Locale Valley View and Independence,
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Maintained by Ohio Department of Transportation, District 12
ID number 1812521
1812548
Characteristics
Design steel multi-stringer highway girder bridges
Total length 4,150 feet (1,260 m)
Height 212 feet (65 m)[1]
Longest span 300 feet (91 m)
History
Construction begin 1972
Construction end 1975
Opened 1977[1]
Statistics
Daily traffic 120000

The Valley View Bridge is a pair of steel multi-stringer highway girder bridges that carry Interstate 480 over the Cuyahoga River valley in Valley View and Independence, Ohio. They are 212 feet (65 m) high and 4,150 feet (1,260 m) long.[2]

History

In 1971, construction of the Outerbelt South Freeway (I-480) began on both sides of the Cuyahoga River valley, in Valley View and Independence. To join the sections, two parallel bridge decks (one for westbound traffic and the other for eastbound traffic) were constructed. Each section consists of 93-foot (28 m) long beams connected by steel bolts, and the bridge supports are in concrete. The support pillars were completed within two years, and the decking within four years. The bridges opened in 1977 providing access to the nearby Willow Freeway (I-77).

In 1999, the Ohio Department of Transportation painted the bridge a red-primer color, replacing the original gray.

In 2010, the bridge received the honorary name "Union Workers Memorial Bridge".[3]

In 2011, ODOT will begin a project to retrofit the bridge's parapets. The work includes installing new fences and moving the overhead lighting to the outside of the structures. The estimated cost of construction is $4.4 million.[4][5]

In 2016, ODOT announced that a third bridge will be built in between the two outer bridges, which will then undergo extended repairs. The work is expected to be completed by 2023.[6]

A pair of peregrine falcons nests under the bridge.[7]

Accidents

The city of Valley View has jurisdiction over the bridge, and they have been assisted by the police and fire departments from Garfield Heights and Independence.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Sangiacomo, Michael (2011-02-22). "Driver dies when truck cab falls 200 feet from I-480 bridge". The Plain Dealer. Advance Ohio. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  2. ↑ "Interstate 480".
  3. ↑ Ohio Revised Code 5533.93
  4. 1 2 Farkas, Karen (2009-08-25). "Valley View I-480 bridge barrier replacement put off for two years". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  5. ↑ "Retrofit Parapets of I-480 Bridges in Valley View and Independence". Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, 2006. Retrieved on 2009-08-27.
  6. ↑ "Valley View Bridge will be repaired two years earlier than planned".
  7. ↑ "I-480 Bridge, Cleveland/Valley View". Ohio's Peregrine Falcons. Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Safety Council Honors Seat-belt Survivors". The Plain Dealer. 1986-03-22. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  9. ↑ Fuetsch, Michele (1996-02-28). "Vehicle Plunges Off I-480 Bridge". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  10. ↑ Breckenridge, Tom (1996-09-21). "Driver Cleared in I-480 Collision". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  11. ↑ Martin, Maggie (2007-03-07). "Trucker Saved from Perch on I-480 Bridge". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.

References

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