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°WCoordinates: 41°24′31″N 81°38′02″W / 41.408552°N 81.633843°W |
| Carries |
 I‑480 |
| Crosses |
Cuyahoga River Ohio and Erie Canal 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) |
| 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]
A pair of peregrine falcons nests under the bridge.[6]
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.
- On February 17, 1986, a driver was rescued when his semi-truck partially left the bridge.[7]
- In March 1997, police and the fire department responded to a dangling semi-truck. The driver was safely rescued.[4][10]
- On February 22, 2011, a semi-truck driver was killed when his cab fell off the bridge.[1]
- On June 25, 2013, during a severe storm a couple of highway signs fell down hitting 2 cars and injuring one.
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sangiacomo, Michael (2011-02-22). "Driver dies when truck cab falls 200 feet from I-480 bridge". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
- ↑ Interstate 480
- ↑ Ohio Revised Code 5533.93
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Farkas, Karen (2009-08-25). "Valley View I-480 bridge barrier replacement put off for two years". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ↑ "Retrofit Parapets of I-480 Bridges in Valley View and Independence". Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, 2006. Retrieved on 2009-08-27.
- ↑ "I-480 Bridge, Cleveland/Valley View". Ohio's Peregrine Falcons. Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Safety Council Honors Seat-belt Survivors". The Plain Dealer. 1986-03-22. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ↑ Fuetsch, Michele (1996-02-28). "Vehicle Plunges Off I-480 Bridge". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ↑ Breckenridge, Tom (1996-09-21). "Driver Cleared in I-480 Collision". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ↑ Martin, Maggie (2007-03-07). "Trucker Saved from Perch on I-480 Bridge". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
References
- "Old and New Cloverleaf". Roadfan.com.
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