Interstate 271

Interstate 271
Outerbelt East Freeway
Route information
Maintained by Ohio DOT
Length:	46.06 mi[1] (74.13 km)
Existed:	1972 – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-71 in Medina Township
	I-77 / SR 21 in Richfield I-480 / SR 14 in Cleveland
North end:	I-90 in Willoughby Hills
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Ohio Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← I-270 SR 273 →

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 and only have one combined exit for Chagrin Boulevard (east US-422), Harvard Road, Richmond Road (SR 175) and US-422 (west) interchange.

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 Chicago where Interstate 57 crosses Interstate 294 but does not intersect with it. The 271/480 section is the only instance of a concurrency of two three-digit Interstate Highways.

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.^{[citation needed]} This link is now covered by unsigned I-480N.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[9]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Medina	Medina Township	0.00	0.00	1	I-71 south – Columbus	No access to I-71 northbound; no access from I-71 southbound
		3.52	5.66	3	SR 94 (Ridge Road) to I-71 north
Summit	Richfield	9.52	15.32	9	Brecksville Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		10.15	16.33	10	I-77 / SR 21 to I-80 / Ohio Tpk. – Cleveland, Akron	Northbound exit to I-77 south / SR 21 south is via exit 9; no direct southbound exit to I-77 north / SR 21 north (traffic is directed south to I-77's exit 143 to return north)
		12.59	20.26	12	SR 303 (Streetsboro Road) – Richfield, Peninsula
	Macedonia	18.44	29.68	18	SR 8 – Boston Heights, Akron
		19.22	30.93	19	SR 82 (East Aurora Road) – Macedonia, Twinsburg	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Cuyahoga	Oakwood	21.84	35.15	21	I-480 east / SR 14 east – Youngstown	South end of I-480 / SR 14 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Bedford	23.28	37.47	23	SR 14 west (Broadway Avenue) / Forbes Road	North end of SR 14 overlap
	Bedford Heights	25.87	41.63	26A	Rockside Road	Signed as exit 26 southbound
		25.87	41.63	26B	I-480 west – Cleveland, Toledo	North end of I-480 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		27.01	43.47	27A	US 422 east – Warren	South end of US 422 overlap
		27.94	44.97	27B	I-480 west (via I-480N west) – Toledo	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		27.94	44.97	27B	Miles Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		28.08	45.19	28A	SR 175 (Richmond Road) / Emery Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance, remaining movements are via exit 27B northbound
	Orange	29.01	46.69	28B	Harvard Road
	Beachwood	29.96	48.22	29	US 422 west (West Chagrin Boulevard) / SR 87 east (West Chagrin Boulevard)	North end of US 422 overlap
	Lyndhurst	32.92	52.98	32	Cedar Road, Brainard Road
	Mayfield Heights	34.98	56.29	34	US 322 (Mayfield Road)
	Highland Heights	36.31	58.44	36	Wilson Mills Road
Lake	Willoughby Hills	40.22	64.73	40AB	I-90 – Cleveland, Erie
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

References

External links

• Route 271

v t e Auxiliary routes of Interstate 71 Kentucky 471 Ohio 271 471