Valley View Bridge


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 high and long.

History

In 1971, construction of the Outerbelt South Freeway began on both sides of the Cuyahoga River valley, in Valley View and Independence. To join the sections, two parallel bridge decks were constructed. Each section consists of 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.
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".
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.
In 2016, ODOT announced that a third bridge would be built in between the two outer bridges, which then would undergo extended repairs. The third bridge will be retained after the bridge replacement phase ends in 2022, creating a bypass of the interchanges on each end of the bridge, functioning as express lanes; the project as a whole is expected to run until 2024.
A pair of peregrine falcons nests under the bridge.

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.