CLEVELAND — The Ohio Department of Transportation has kicked off its I-90 Central Interchange Project in Downtown Cleveland.
Local leaders gathered Wednesday near the Cedar Avenue bridge to celebrate the groundbreaking of the multi-year project.
Crews are already working to tear down the former Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center to make way for the new project.
Crews will eventually remove the Cedar Avenue bridge as part of the project, too.
The $328 million project is mostly focused on the bridge replacement. ODOT said the following bridges will be replaced:
- The I-90 westbound to I-77 southbound ramp
- The stretch of I-90 over West 14th Street
- The Carnegie Avenue Bridge over I-90
- The East 22nd Street Bridge over I-90
Along that East 22nd Street Bridge, a new multi-use pathway will be added, allowing a safer connection to the downtown area for those on foot or on two wheels.
Some new aesthetic improvements, like new lighting or art designs, are also coming to the I-90 interchange.
The project is expected to last until 2032. ODOT said all of these changes will make things safer and even quicker along Interstate 90.
"It's really come time for the pavement and bridges to be replaced," ODOT District 12 Spokesperson Brent Kovacs said. "A lot of them were built in the 1960s, so motorists are going to see a smoother paving surface, wider shoulders, good bridges for decades to come."
Expect closures along the following streets and ramps at some point this year:
- The I-77 northbound exits to East 14th Street and East 22nd Street
- East 14th Street between Orange and Carnegie avenues
- Community College Avenue between East 14th and East 22nd streets
- East 22nd Street between Carnegie and Central avenues
- Cedar Avenue between East 28th and East 22nd streets
- A full weekend closure of I-90 for bridge demolition
All closures will last varying amounts of time.
ODOT also mentioned future work along I-90 near Dead Man's Curve.
The area is currently under study to see what can be done to realign it.
There is no timeline for the completion of the work.
ODOT said to expect an extra lane for peak travel times to appear in the area over the next five to 10 years.
