I-490 is a very short east/west freeway (just 2.43 miles long) south of downtown Cleveland, it connects I-90 with I-77. Each end features a multi-level stack and the eastern end is a stub, making this one of the more interesting tiny three-digit interstates out there. As always, click each image for a bigger one.
The eastern end of I-490 at 55th St. The freeway was to have extended eastward.
The beginning of westbound I-490. Two lanes come in from northbound 55th St, and one from southbound – leaving the fourth lane to simply appear after the merge point. The freeway was originally planned in the late 70s as a connector route and opened in September of 1990.
The first westbound interchange occurs with I-77, if you go north here I-77 will almost immediately end at I-90, the innerbelt, in downtown Cleveland. Plans were bandied about several years ago to extend I-490 eastward as originally planned and then northward to I-90 as the “University Circle Freeway”, thus freeing up stresses on Cleveland’s innerbelt. I’m not sure if the plan has been fully dropped or not – maybe a reader can speak up?
The I-77 stack is 4 levels and symmetrical, I-490 goes down to two lanes on the lowest level.
7th St is the only interchange between I-490 and a surface street. The interstate here is 4 or 5 lanes westbound, and offers great views of the industrial river valley below and the Cleveland skyline, albeit through a fence.
I-490 westbound ends at the junction of I-71 and I-90. This is a nearly symmetrical stack, you can’t go northbound/eastbound on I-90.
Wow the freeway looks barren…it’s only a matter of time before it too is on the chopping block of forgotten superhighways. As far as the University Circle leg…AFAIK it was dropped because Shaker Heights would have to part of it. It was also extremely cost prohibiting.
I-490 was shot down by residents of Cleveland’s East Side. In fact, the most vocal opponent of the construction of I-490 was Cleveland’s current mayor, Frank Jackson. The city is trying to convert it into a boulevard, much like NYC’s West Side Pkwy, but I doubt it will ever be built.
The freeway that shaker hts shot down was back in the 70’s. The plan for i-490 was for it to go all the way up to I-271, and for I-480 to be furhter south. This is the reason that I-480’s 2 section are seperated by several miles.
The Section that was recently discussed was killed, the neighborhoods felt that the freeway would cut them in half. Now the Opportunity Cooridor, a wider surface street concept is being discussed. In all honoesty, there is no money for right of way purchases, and that will be the end of it.
With all the abandoned houses on Cleveland’s East Side, you would think that eminent domain would happen in this instance. In my personal opinion an extension of I-490 into the University Circle area is greatly needed. It would reduce traffic on all the surface streets, mainly, Carnegie, Euclid, Chester, and East 55th which all lead to the freeways (I-71,77,90,490), but Frank Jackson is so closed-minded that he doesn’t see the benefit that it would give the city especially if the 490 extension were a toll road. But this is why Cleveland is such a dead end city now, because of dead end, closed minded, money in their pocket thinking politicians