Route information | ||||
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Maintained by ODOT | ||||
Length | 38.34 mi [1] (61.70 km) | |||
Existed | 1924–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-76 / I-77 in Akron | |||
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North end | US 6 / US 20 / US 422 / SR 14 / SR 43 / SR 87 at Public Square in Cleveland | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Ohio | |||
Counties | Summit, Cuyahoga | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 8 (SR 8) is a road in the U.S. state of Ohio. SR 8 stretches from the eastern junction of Interstate 76 (I-76) and I-77 in Akron to Public Square in Cleveland. It is one of nine routes to enter downtown Cleveland at Public Square. The route's first few miles are as a limited-access freeway from I-76 and I-77, heading north. The freeway section of the highway has 16 interchanges, and is cosigned with SR 59 for a short distance from Perkins Street in Akron to Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. The freeway portion ends at I-271 in Macedonia.
SR 8 begins at an interchange with I-76 and I-77 southeast of downtown Akron. The Akron Expressway, as the freeway is known within the city limits, heads up the east side of Akron. SR 8's first interchange is the main access to the central business district and the University of Akron. Just before leaving central Akron, an interchange with Perkins Street begins a concurrency with SR 59. The road continues over the North Expressway Viaduct, [2] which crosses over several railroads and the Little Cuyahoga River, before continuing to the north side of Akron. Between exits 3B and 4, SR 8/59 cross into Cuyahoga Falls. Those two exits connect with the same stretch of road but have different names and are on different sides of the city limit.
The freeway continues north through Cuyahoga Falls, parallel to the Cuyahoga River; the freeway crosses the river just before exit 6. SR 59 leaves the freeway at exit 6 to head east toward Kent. SR 8, which until now has been heading slightly northeast, turns north and northwest after exit 6, interchanging with Graham Road in the process. The road continues through a relatively rural area on the eastern edge of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Exits 10, 12, 14A-B and 15 are normally only used as a connection to Hudson or Blossom Music Center and other points in the national park, as their immediate areas are sparsely populated and underdeveloped. Once it passes the Ohio Turnpike, SR 8 continues through a wooded area. The route's last exit is with I-271, after which it enters Cleveland's southeastern suburbs.
Now known as Northfield Road, SR 8 continues parallel to I-271, intersecting SR 82, SR 14, and SR 17. Following its intersection with SR 17, SR 8 enters a brief concurrency with SR 43, during which it intersects I-480. SR 43 splits off, and SR 8 continues northward before joining US 422 and turning to the west. The new road is briefly known as Chagrin Boulevard before becoming Kinsman Road. SR 8/US 422 continues to the northwest through the immediate Cleveland area; during its approach to downtown Cleveland, SR 87 joins the concurrency, followed by an interchange with I-77.
For its final mile, SR 8/SR 87/US 422 picks up a concurrency of SR 14/SR 43, after which the road becomes known as Ontario Street and turns toward Public Square, the northern terminus of SR 8. SR 8's northern terminus is shared with six other roads: SR 3, SR 14, SR 43, SR 87, US 42, and US 422.
SR 8 was one of the original state highways in Ohio. It went from Marietta all the way to Cleveland. Over time, though, parts of the route were renumbered or reassigned, especially south of Akron. In 1926 the portion from Marietta to Newcomerstown became U.S. Route 21. The same year the section from Newcomerstown to Uhrichsville became State Route 16 and SR 8 was rerouted from the Ohio River town of Fly to Uhrichsville. In 1969, the section from Fly to Canton was renumbered to State Route 800, the portion from Canton to Akron was deleted, and the southern end of the highway was truncated at Akron, at U.S. Route 224. [3]
On August 6, 1954, the portion of the North Expressway in Akron opened from Perkins Street to Cuyahoga Falls Avenue. [4] By 1962, it had been extended south to the Central Interchange and numbered Route 8B; it became mainline SR 8 in 1969 north of Market Street, and in its entirety by 1971. [3] A section of freeway between Front Street (SR 59) and Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls and Stow opened by 1972, with the connecting section opening in 1974. The freeway carried only the SR 59 designation between Tallmadge Avenue in Akron and Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls and had no posted number north of there until 1983, when the SR 8 designation was transferred to the freeway. [3] The final section of freeway opened on May 20, 1988, [5] reaching State Route 303.
SR 8 from Interstate 77 to Perkins Street was rebuilt from 2003 to 2005. The freeway in that stretch previously had onramps and offramps built closely together, creating the danger of weaving traffic. Several ramps were removed and service roads were built on both sides of the freeway. [6]
Route 8 from SR 303 north to Interstate 271 was converted to a full freeway without at-grade intersections between 2008 and 2011. [7] [8] [9] [10] The ramp between State Route 8 northbound and I-271 northbound opened July 24, 2009, [11] and the opposite ramp opened on September 4. [12] The new Turnpike interchange opened in December 2010, well ahead of the projected date of fall 2011.
An interchange was opened at Seasons Road in 2010 to serve the area near the borders of Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, and Hudson. [13] [14] Although the interchange was completed on January 25, 2010, it was not initially scheduled to open until one month later, on February 26, when an official ribbon-cutting could take place. Two weeks before the scheduled opening, an editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal lambasted the ribbon-cutting, calling the ceremony a mere "photo op", and questioning why a finished project should sit unused for 31 days. On February 21, the government of Stow, which had been responsible for holding the ceremony, announced the interchange would open in the morning of the next day without a ribbon-cutting. [15] [16] [17]
In 2015 SR 8 was rerouted slightly in Shaker Heights due to a six-leg intersection being converted to a four-leg one. [18] [19]
Long-term plans for the road include a complete replacement of the North Expressway Viaduct between the Perkins Street and Glenwood Avenue exits, which is currently forecast to begin in 2023. [20]
In January 2014, the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) metropolitan planning organization proposed to designate the section between the central interchange in Akron (at I-76/77) to Macedonia (at I-271) as Interstate 380. [21] ODOT declined the proposal for financial reasons. [22] The letter was resubmitted in April 2014 with support from additional local officials, including Akron mayor Don Plusquellic, but no further discussion has taken place on the proposal. [23]
County | Location | mi [1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
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Summit | Akron | 0.00– 0.41 | 0.00– 0.66 | – | I-77 south – Canton | Signed as exit 23A on I-76 and 125A on I-77 |
0A | I-76 east – Youngstown | Signed as exit 125B on I-77 northbound | ||||
0B | I-76 west / I-77 north – Barberton | |||||
0.99– 1.42 | 1.59– 2.29 | 1A | To SR 18 (Market Street) / Buchtel Avenue / Carroll Avenue / Exchange Street | Northbound ramp closed from July 2023 to September 2023 for reconstruction [24] | ||
1.63– 1.85 | 2.62– 2.98 | 1B | SR 59 west (Perkins Street) | Southern terminus of SR 59 concurrency | ||
2.67 | 4.30 | 2 | Glenwood Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
2.91– 3.20 | 4.68– 5.15 | 3A | SR 261 (Tallmadge Avenue) | Signed as exit 3 southbound | ||
3.79 | 6.10 | 3B | Cuyahoga Falls Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Cuyahoga Falls | 4.27– 4.58 | 6.87– 7.37 | 4 | Howe Avenue | Also signed for Cuyahoga Falls Avenue southbound | |
5.24– 5.73 | 8.43– 9.22 | 5A | Broad Boulevard | Signed as exit 5 southbound | ||
5.48 | 8.82 | 5B | Portage Trail | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
6.11– 6.73 | 9.83– 10.83 | 6 | SR 59 east (Front Street) / Second Street – Kent | Southbound exit to Second Street; northern terminus of SR 59 concurrency | ||
Stow | 7.54– 7.90 | 12.13– 12.71 | 7 | Graham Road – Stow, Silver Lake | ||
8.91– 9.30 | 14.34– 14.97 | 9 | Steels Corners Road | |||
10.39– 10.89 | 16.72– 17.53 | 10 | Seasons Road | Opened February 22, 2010 [15] | ||
Boston Heights | 12.56– 13.16 | 20.21– 21.18 | 12 | SR 303 (West Streetsboro Road) – Hudson, Peninsula | ||
14.05– 15.21 | 22.61– 24.48 | 14A | Boston Mills Road / Hines Hill Road | Interchange reconstructed in December 2010, signed as exit 15 southbound | ||
14.05– 14.73 | 22.61– 23.71 | 14B | I-80 / Ohio Turnpike – Toledo, Youngstown | Interchange reconstructed in December 2010; exit 180 on I-80 / Turnpike | ||
Macedonia | 16.42– 18.06 | 26.43– 29.06 | 17 | I-271 – Columbus, Erie, PA | Exits 18A-B on I-271 | |
17.57 | 28.28 | Northern end of freeway section | ||||
18.68 | 30.06 | SR 82 (East Aurora Road) | ||||
Cuyahoga | Bedford | 23.64 | 38.04 | SR 14 (Broadway Avenue) | ||
Bedford Heights | 25.94 | 41.75 | SR 17 (Libby Road) | |||
26.32– 26.39 | 42.36– 42.47 | SR 43 south (Aurora Road / Mueti Drive) to I-480 east / I-271 south – Youngstown | Southern terminus of SR 43 concurrency | |||
I-480 west – Cleveland, Toledo | ||||||
North Randall | 26.66 | 42.91 | SR 43 west (Miles Road) | Northern terminus of SR 43 concurrency | ||
Shaker Heights | 29.55 | 47.56 | US 422 east (Chagrin Boulevard) / Warrensville Center Road | Southern terminus of US 422 concurrency | ||
Cleveland | SR 10 (Opportunity Corridor) | |||||
35.97 | 57.89 | SR 87 east (Woodland Avenue) / East 55th Street | Southern terminus of SR 87 concurrency | |||
36.75– 36.86 | 59.14– 59.32 | I-77 south / SR 10 to I-71 – Akron | Eastern terminus of SR 10 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance; exit 162A on I-77 | |||
36.89 | 59.37 | To East 30th Street / SR 14 (Broadway Avenue) / SR 43 | ||||
36.95 | 59.47 | I-77 north to I-90 | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 162A on I-77 | |||
37.40 | 60.19 | SR 14 / SR 43 (Broadway Avenue) | Southern terminus of concurrency SR 14 / SR 43 concurrency | |||
37.81 | 60.85 | SR 10 west (Lorain Avenue) / I-77 south / I-90 west to I-71 – Akron, Airport | Eastern terminus of SR 10; exit 162B on I-77; exits 171A-B on I-90 | |||
38.34 | 61.70 | US 6 / US 20 (Euclid Avenue) / US 42 south / US 322 east / SR 3 south (Superior Avenue) / US 422 east | Public Square; termini of US 42, US 322, US 422, SR 3, SR 14, SR 43, SR 87 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Route 21 (US 21) between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachian Mountains. The southern terminus of I-77 is in Cayce, South Carolina, in Lexington County at the junction with I-26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with I-90. Other major cities that I-77 connects to include Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, West Virginia; and Akron, Ohio. The East River Mountain Tunnel, connecting Virginia and West Virginia, is one of only two instances in the U.S. where a mountain road tunnel crosses a state line. The other is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, connecting Tennessee and Kentucky. I-77 is a snowbird route to the Southern U.S. for those traveling from the Great Lakes region.
Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-64 and I-65 in Louisville, Kentucky, and its northern terminus at an interchange with I-90 in Cleveland, Ohio. I-71 runs concurrently with I-75 from a point about 20 miles (32 km) south of Cincinnati, Ohio, into Downtown Cincinnati. While most odd numbered Interstates run north–south, I-71 takes more of a northeast–southwest course, with some east–west sections, and is mainly a regional route serving Kentucky and Ohio. It links I-80 and I-90 to I-70 and ultimately links to I-40. Major metropolitan areas served by I-71 include Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.
State Route 21 (SR 21) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Ohio. The southern terminus is north of Strasburg on U.S. Route 250. The northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 77 in Cuyahoga Heights.
Interstate 271 (I-271) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron in the US state of Ohio. The highway is officially designated the Outerbelt East Freeway but is rarely referred to by that name by locals, instead simply referring to it as "271".
U.S. Route 35 (US 35) is a United States Highway that runs southeast-northwest for approximately 412 miles (663 km) from the western suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia to northern Indiana. Although the highway is physically southeast-northwest, it is nominally north–south. The highway's southern terminus is in Teays Valley, West Virginia, near Scott Depot, at Interstate 64 (I-64). Its northern terminus is near Michigan City, Indiana, at US 20. The West Virginia portion of the highway is mostly expressway, becoming a freeway shortly before it crosses the Ohio River into Ohio. The Ohio portion has been upgraded to a four-lane highway/freeway between the West Virginia state line and Trotwood, west of Dayton.
U.S. Route 322 is a 494-mile-long (795.0 km), east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of US 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was concurrent with the Lakes-to-Sea Highway.
State Route 59 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving the Akron metropolitan area. The western terminus of State Route 59 is in downtown Akron at a partial interchange with the Interstate 76/Interstate 77 concurrency, and the eastern terminus is at State Route 5, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Ravenna. The route is approximately 23 miles (37 km) long and was certified in 1969 over what had previously been part of SR 5. It serves as a major or as the primary east–west roadway for the cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Kent, Ravenna, and Stow, the village of Silver Lake, and Franklin and Ravenna Townships.
Interstate 76 (I-76) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. The highway runs approximately 435.66 miles (701.13 km) from an interchange with I-71 west of Akron, Ohio, east to I-295 in Bellmawr, New Jersey. This route is not contiguous with I-76 in Colorado and Nebraska.
Interstate 490 (I-490) is a 2.43-mile (3.91 km) auxiliary 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.
Interstate 480 (I-480) is a 41.77-mile-long (67.22 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-80 in the US state of Ohio that passes through much of the Greater Cleveland area, including the southern parts of the city of Cleveland. I-480 is one of 13 auxiliary Interstate Highways in the state. The western terminus of I-480 is an interchange with I-80 and the Ohio Turnpike in North Ridgeville. Starting east through suburban Lorain County, I-480 enters Cuyahoga County, then approaches Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which serves as the primary airport for Northeast Ohio. After traversing Brooklyn and crossing the Cuyahoga River on the Valley View Bridge, the highway continues east toward the communities of Bedford and Twinsburg toward its eastern terminus at I-80 and the Ohio Turnpike in Streetsboro. On its route, I-480 crosses I-71 and I-77 and is concurrent with I-271 for approximately four miles (6.4 km). In 1998, the governor of Ohio, George Voinovich, gave I-480 the additional name of the "Senator John Glenn Highway", in honor of the former NASA astronaut and US senator from Ohio for 24 years.
U.S. Route 422 (US 422) is a 271-mile-long (436 km) spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western segment of US 422 runs from downtown Cleveland, Ohio, east to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. The eastern segment, located entirely within Pennsylvania, runs from Hershey east to King of Prussia, near Philadelphia. US 422 Business serves as a business route into each of four towns along the way.
Ohio State Route 176 is a route linking Interstate 71 (I-71) in Cleveland to I-77 near Richfield. The freeway portion is known as the Jennings Freeway, while the at-grade portion is mostly Broadview Road.
State Route 532 is a north–south state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. The highway runs from its southern terminus at a signalized intersection with U.S. Route 224 (US 224) on the Summit–Portage county line approximately 0.75 miles (1.21 km) south of Mogadore on the border of Springfield Township and Suffield Township to its northern terminus at a diamond interchange with Interstate 76 (I-76), at its exit 29 within the Tallmadge city limits.
State Route 237 is a nearly 14-mile (23 km) north–south signed route in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Its southern terminus is at SR 82 in Strongsville, and its northern terminus is in Lakewood where U.S. Route 20 (US 20) joins the US 6 / SR 2 concurrency.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all Interstates except the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and public aviation programs. ODOT is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly, under the direction of Michael Massa, ODOT initiated a series of interstate-based Travel Information Centers, which were later transferred to local sectors. The Director of Transportation is part of the Governor's Cabinet.
Interstate 80 (I-80) in the US state of Ohio runs across the northern part of the state. Most of the route is part of the Ohio Turnpike; only an 18.78-mile (30.22 km) stretch is not part of the toll road. That stretch of road is the feeder route to the Keystone Shortway, a shortcut through northern Pennsylvania that provides access to New York City.
Interstate 77 (I-77) in Ohio is an Interstate Highway that runs for 163.03 miles (262.37 km) through the state. The highway crosses into Ohio on the Marietta–Williamstown Interstate Bridge over the Ohio River near Marietta. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with I-90. From the West Virginia state line to Cleveland, I-77 serves the cities of Marietta, Cambridge, New Philadelphia, Canton, Akron, and the Cleveland suburban city of Brecksville.
Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east–west across the northern tier of the US state of Ohio. Much of it is along the Ohio Turnpike, but sections outside the turnpike pass through Cleveland and northeast into Pennsylvania.
Interstate 75 (I-75) runs from Cincinnati to Toledo by way of Dayton in the US state of Ohio. The highway enters the state running concurrently with I-71 from Kentucky on the Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River and into the Bluegrass region. I-75 continues along the Mill Creek Expressway northward to the Butler County line just north of I-275. From there, the freeway runs into the Miami Valley and then passes through the Great Black Swamp before crossing into Michigan.
State Route 175 (SR 175) is a 15.70-mile (25.27 km) long north–south state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The southern terminus of SR 175 is at a signalized intersection with SR 43 in Solon. Its northern terminus is at a signalized intersection with SR 283 in Euclid.
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