Interstate 490 (Ohio)
Interstate 490 (I-490) is a 2.43-mile (3.91 km) Interstate Highway in Cleveland, Ohio. The western terminus is a junction with I-90 and I-71 on Cleveland's west side. After spanning the Cuyahoga River, I-490 reaches its eastern terminus at a junction with East 55th Street, just east of I-77.
Troy Lee James Highway | |||||||
![]() I-490 highlighted in red | |||||||
Route information | |||||||
Auxiliary route of I-90 | |||||||
Maintained by ODOT | |||||||
Length | 2.43 mi[1] (3.91 km) | ||||||
History | Designated in 1973 Completed in 1990[2] | ||||||
Major junctions | |||||||
West end | ![]() ![]() | ||||||
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East end | East 55th Street in Cleveland | ||||||
Location | |||||||
Counties | Cuyahoga | ||||||
Highway system | |||||||
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History
The original plans of the Cleveland and other city and federal highway authorities called for the highway – also known as the Clark Freeway[3] and, at various times and in various sections, as Interstate 80N[4] and Interstate 290 – to bisect the east side of the city and the eastern suburbs; the I-290 designation would then have continued north along I-271.[5] I-71 was to have continued along the Innerbelt to Dead Man's Curve, while I-290 was to have used the portion of present I-90 westward to the Parma Freeway near West 65th Street.[4] Freeway revolts in the late 1960s prevented the Clark Freeway east of East 55th Street and the Parma Freeway from being built; specifically, a referendum in Shaker Heights barred the city from allowing the Clark Freeway to pass through the city and its Shaker Lakes.[6][7] The Interstate 490 designation was applied to the Clark Freeway's altered proposed path in 1973,[8] but this alignment was also not built east of East 55th Street. Ultimately I-90 was realigned to follow the Clark Freeway routing west of I-71 and the Innerbelt, and the middle segment of the Clark Freeway between I-71 and I-77 opened in 1990.[2] The Opportunity Corridor expressway is being constructed to follow the path of the cancelled portion of I-490/Clark Freeway eastward from the end of the completed portion until it veers north toward the University Circle neighborhood.
In 2003, I-490 was dedicated to Troy Lee James, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives.[9]
In April 2011, the ramps between I-77 and I-90 to the west were removed, making I-490 the official route between those highways and between I-77 and I-71.[10]

Exit list
The entire route is in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County.
mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.00 | 0.00 | — | ![]() | Western terminus; I-90 exit 170C | ||
0.20 | 0.32 | 1A | ![]() ![]() | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; I-71 exit 247B | ||
0.92 | 1.48 | 1B | West 7th Street / Houston Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
1.72 | 2.77 | 2A | ![]() ![]() | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
1.88 | 3.03 | — | ![]() | Exit 161 on I-77; proposed western terminus of SR 10 concurrency[11] | ||
2.43 | 3.91 | — | East 55th Street | At-grade intersection; proposed to be converted to a grade-separated interchange[11] | ||
— | ![]() | Planned extension to University Circle[11] | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- "Cuyahoga County Roadway Description Inventory Report - DESTAPE" (PDF). Ohio Department of Transportation. August 30, 2017: 94. Retrieved September 2, 2019. Cite journal requires
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(help) - Thoma, Pauline (September 12, 1990). "Ceremony gets I-490 on road; Long-awaited bridge opens for business". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio (August 1966). "Route Location Studies: Clark Freeway, East 55th Street to Outer Belt East Freeway (Report Number 8)". Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Ohio Department of Highways. "1957-1958 Biennial Report excerpt". Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- Example: Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (Map). Cartography by ODOH. Ohio Department of Highways. 1964. Archived from the original (MrSID) on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- O'Malley, Michael (September 25, 2006). "Women saved Shaker Lakes from freeways". The Plain Dealer.
- Cleveland Heights Historical Society. "Feature Stories: When Bad Ideas Happen to Good Suburbs: The Clark, Lee and Heights Freeways". Retrieved February 26, 2008.
- U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee (November 10, 1973). "U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- "§5516.05: Troy Lee James highway". Ohio Revised Code. March 19, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- "Two Interstate 77/90 Ramps to Close Permanently as Part of Innerbelt Work" (press release). Ohio Department of Transportation District 12, April 5, 2011. Retrieved on 2011-07-19.
- "Opportunity Corridor Public Hearing" (PDF). City of Cleveland. October 1, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
Further reading
- Breckenridge, Tom (September 18, 2010). "Homes, businesses in Cleveland neighborhoods would be leveled to make way for Opportunity Corridor". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 490 (Ohio). |
- Opportunity Corridor project page (Ohio Department of Transportation)