Northeast Ohio Interstate System

[The Premier]

Cleveland has I-71, I-77, I-90, I-490, and portions of I-480 in their city limits. Outside of Cleveland, in addition to the ones in the city, you have I-271 and the Turnpike. Yet there are other freeways that are not designated as Interstates, such as portions of SR 2 (both the Shoreway and the freeway east of SR 2).

The Akron-Canton Area has just as fewer interstates than Cleveland. Within city limits, Akron has I-76, I-77, and I-277. Canton only has I-77 within their city limit. Massillon, which is roughly half the population as Canton, has none.
The Youngstown area only has I-80 (the free section) and I-680. Only I-680 is within the city limits.

My thing is this: I believe that the freeway system should evolve in Ohio, and it should not be limited to Southeast Ohio or in the Columbus area, but here in Northeast Ohio. One example is to complete the Innerbelt in Akron to SR 8, or if that can't be done, at the very least, make the half interchange to a full interchange. I also believe that we should build more freeways in the area to prevent congestion; not just rebuild them as it can only go so far.

Also, the freeways that are not designated as Interstates now should at the very least be seriously considered as a part of Ohio's Interstate System. SR 8 serves as an example as that part of the freeway within the Turnpike are being constructed to Interstate standards. They even have begun to have exit numbers, something that wasn't done before.

The question is this: does anyone agree with this? And which non-interstate freeways within Northeast Ohio should be designated as Interstates? Feel free to comment.

BTW, you can feel free to look at what I believe is the ideal freeways of the Akron-Canton and part of the Youngstown area on this post.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

You sound bored.
Here's what local officials in NE Ohio wanted over the years.

Cleveland in the 1950s


Akron in the early 60s


Ashtabula in the early 70s


Trumbull Co/Warren in 1980


Let me know when you're ready for to roll out the state maps.

[The Premier]

Some of the freeways that were later completed was much different than when it was proposed. I know the Innerbelt was intended start at what is today I-277 was to continue to Kent but it instead starts at I-76 and ends at Perkins St. Another was the proposed freeway loop of Warren but the northern loop was completed instead. With all those proposals that was going around in the 1950's and 1960's, it looks like part of them should be reconsidered today.

[njroadhorse]

Was I-480 supposed to take the US 422 freeway by any chance?  It defininitely appears that way.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Was I-480 supposed to take the US 422 freeway by any chance?  It defininitely appears that way.

There is the US 422 extension from I-271/480 interchange east.  That wasn't planned to have any interstate number, much less I-480 (that I'm aware of).
US 422 was to have been rerouted to I-480 and Oh 14 through Cleveland, but that didn't happen due to local (suburbs) protests that no one would find them without US 422 (but were against I-290 coming through).

[njroadhorse]

That outer-outer highway intrigues me, is it an original 271 proposal or something completely different that went under?  That freeway along 6 out of Cleveland needed to be built when this proposal was made, it would've helped out a lot.

[The Premier]

It probably looks like, but Interstate route numbers was not assigned at that time period. Another thing was that it was under study, well before it was built.

There was also an Akron by-pass that originally used SR 21 and would be routed along SR 619 that never got developed.

[thenetwork]

Was I-480 supposed to take the US 422 freeway by any chance?  It defininitely appears that way.

There is the US 422 extension from I-271/480 interchange east.  That wasn't planned to have any interstate number, much less I-480 (that I'm aware of).
US 422 was to have been rerouted to I-480 and Oh 14 through Cleveland, but that didn't happen due to local (suburbs) protests that no one would find them without US 422 (but were against I-290 coming through).

If the current US-422 freeway east of I-271 were to have had any Interstate designation, it probably would have been I-80, since for a while, when I-480 was still a twinkle in ODOT's eyes, it was to have been I-80, coming off at I-480's current western terminus with the Ohio Turnpike in North Ridgeville.  And by looking at this Cleveland area planning map, it looks like I-80 could have followed the current US-422 alignment out to Warren then could have followed the unbuilt southern bypass around Warren to it's current alignment north of downtown Y-town.

[The Premier]

On top of the comments that I made earlier regarding the freeways of the Akron-Canton, we should also consider a freeway management system in the event something serious has occured. This Beacon Journal story explains as someone was hurt while traveling On I-76 EB. In this case someone threw a rock that crashed into that person's windshield.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Was I-480 supposed to take the US 422 freeway by any chance?  It defininitely appears that way.

There is the US 422 extension from I-271/480 interchange east.  That wasn't planned to have any interstate number, much less I-480 (that I'm aware of).
US 422 was to have been rerouted to I-480 and Oh 14 through Cleveland, but that didn't happen due to local (suburbs) protests that no one would find them without US 422 (but were against I-290 coming through).

If the current US-422 freeway east of I-271 were to have had any Interstate designation, it probably would have been I-80, since for a while, when I-480 was still a twinkle in ODOT's eyes, it was to have been I-80, coming off at I-480's current western terminus with the Ohio Turnpike in North Ridgeville.  And by looking at this Cleveland area planning map, it looks like I-80 could have followed the current US-422 alignment out to Warren then could have followed the unbuilt southern bypass around Warren to it's current alignment north of downtown Y-town.

No.
US 422 East and Oh 14/I-80N/I-80/I-480 were two completely different routes.
This 1962 Rand McNally snipet shows (then) I-80N following Oh 14 from the Turnpike (and maybe through Ravenna, never comfirmed). Never following the US 422 corridor.

And if you go back to my earlier post in this thread with the maps, the map I posted for Cleveland show seperate, and different, routes for US 422 and Oh 14 (to be I-80/480) heading east from the East Outerbelt (aka I-271).

You can see some red dashes in the lower right hand corner, just above the North arrow. That would be for Oh 14/I-80N/I-80/I-480.
Seeing ODOT's past desire to have state corridors, outside of the interstate numbered system, I have yet to see proof that US 422 corridor was proposed to have been I-80 instead.  Sorry.

[njroadhorse]

It also looks like I-80 was originally to reach Norwalk from the southeast not the north like it does today, any reason why that one wasn't chose?

[The Premier]

My guess is that the OTC (Ohio Turnpike Commission) didn't want it near the turnpike on the grounds that it could lose money. Either that, or ODOT was unwilling to decommission a bulk of SR 18.

[Revive 755]

My guess is that the OTC (Ohio Turnpike Commission) didn't want it near the turnpike on the grounds that it could lose money.

If that was the case, I'm surprised so much of the OH 2 freeway got built, instead of a short spur feeding the turnpike from Sandusky.