Looking northeasterly, the new East 22nd Street overpass of Interstate 90 will provide a more seamless connection between Downtown Cleveland and the Central neighborhood in the Campus District. This is part of the six-year rebuild of the 70-year-old Central Interchange with Interstate 77 and downtown streets (ODOT). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Rebuild, redesign of I-90, I-77 link begins
On the plus side, one of the region’s biggest megaprojects got underway today when officials from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and others threw spades of dirt in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Interstate 90 Central Interchange Project in Downtown Cleveland.
One the negative side, major reconstruction work on Northeast Ohio’s busiest highway, which hosts more than 160,000 vehicles a day, will take about six years to complete. In other words, motorists need to find more patience or find another routing to work/school/events.
This $328 million project, in the planning stages for 20 years, will replace aging pavement and bridge structures originally built in the 1960s and modernize one of the most important transportation corridors in Ohio, ODOT officials said.
Within this portion, construction work will replace sharp curves with sweeping ramps and bridges through the Central Interchange with Interstate 77 and add a 3-mile stretch of SmartLane technology.
Mayor Justin Bibb and local dignitaries turn dirt for the ceremonial start of construction of the Central Interchange project (City of Cleveland).
Also the section of I-90 from East 9th Street east to Carnegie Avenue will be rebuilt and realigned with new bridges for East 22nd Street and Carnegie Avenue over the busy highway.
“When this work is complete, we will have a safer, more reliable system that reflects the kind of city we are becoming,” said Mayor Justin Bibb. “Infrastructure is the foundation of how our residents connect to jobs, neighborhoods and opportunity. And this Cleveland era is about strengthening those connections.”
He acknowledged that, since construction will take place over multiple years with lane shifts, closures and detours along the way, there will be times when commutes are slower or routes will have to be changed.
“We know that can be inconvenient,” Bibb added. “But that is the cost of doing this right and rebuilding this corridor for generations to come. Let’s keep moving forward, together.”
Plan of how the Central Interchange between Interstates 90 and 77 plus downtown streets will be redesigned and rebuilt over the next six years (ODOT).
The project includes the complete pavement replacement of I-90 between East 9th Street and Carnegie Avenue and the replacement of multiple bridges on and over I-90, including:
- I-90 west ramp to I-77 south
- I-90 over West 14th Street
- East 22nd Street over I-90
- Carnegie Avenue over I-90
Improvements to the East 22nd Street bridge will include multimodal connections that better support active transportation connections between the Central neighborhood, Campus District and downtown. The project also includes aesthetic improvements on I-90 to enhance the visual character of the corridor.
Looking east along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 from the future overpass ramp from the westbound I-90 to southbound I-77. At right is a new, elevated ramp from eastbound I-90 to East 22nd Street in the distance and to Cedar and Carnegie avenues (ODOT).
“This is a great day for northeast Ohio as we break ground on a project that will improve transportation for all users,” said ODOT District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri.
Work scheduled for 2026 includes:
- Pavement work on I-90, I-77, East 14th, East 22nd, Carnegie, Cedar, Central and Community College avenues.
- Removal of the Cedar bridge over I-90 and the Community College Avenue bridge over East 14th.
- The start of reconstruction work on the bridge from I-90 westbound to I-77 southbound.
Looking north on the future East 22nd Street overpass of Interstate 90 with Downtown Cleveland in the background (ODOT).
This work will require various lane restrictions and closures, with start dates to be announced in the future. The following ramps, bridges, and roadways will close in 2026:
- I-77 northbound exits to East 14th/East 22nd will be closed for five months.
- East 14th between Orange and Carnegie avenues will be closed for eight months.
- Community College Avenue between East 14th and East 22nd will be closed for three months.
- East 22nd between Carnegie and Central avenues will be closed for one year.
- Cedar between East 28th and East 22nd streets will be closed for one year.
- Full weekend closures of I-90 to perform bridge demolition work.
Demolition of the former Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center at East 22nd Street and Central Avenue is providing ODOT with a construction staging area for the Central Interchange project. After the project, the site will be redeveloped (City of Cleveland).
“This milestone is the result of strong collaboration among ODOT, city, and county partners, ensuring the infrastructure upgrades are not only functional but also visually appealing and thoughtfully designed to reflect the character of the community,” Picuri continued.
The entire, decades-long reconstruction of the 5-mile-long Innerbelt section of Interstate 90, from Tremont through Downtown Cleveland to the lakefront, carries a price tag of about $2 billion.
Modernization of the 70-year-old Innerbelt is broken up into 10 sections ranging in price from $5 million to $500 million. This portion of the Innerbelt, described by ODOT as Group 3 Part A, is the only one of five sections of Innerbelt reconstruction left to do that is fully funded.
Motorists can stay informed about traffic impacts by visiting transportation.ohio.gov/CLEtraffic or downloading the OHGO app. The project is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2032.
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