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The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

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"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. 

When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.  




Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve

The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signed into law on June 29 of said year.  The act birthed the Interstate Highway System and would add numerous planned freeway corridors in Cleveland as chargeable mileage.

The Innerbelt Freeway was intended to serve as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The corridor appears as Interstate 71 in a State of Ohio Department of Highways numbering proposal letter to AASHO dated August 8, 1958.  Interstate 90 is shown to have been planned to follow the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west towards Edgewater Park and a never constructed connector through Lakewood to the Northwest Freeway. 





The general corridor of the Interstate 90 connector from Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to the Northwest Freeway is shown as Federal Aid Interstate Project 2 on a 1958 Ohio Interstate planning map.  The connector is shown to branch from the Shoreway approximately at the intersection of Detroit Avenue and 25th Street.  The planned connector is shown tracking west over the grade of Detroit Avenue and the railroad through Lakewood to the Northwest Freeway.


The original portion of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway was heavily funded as a Works Project Administration project and was completed as Cleveland's first freeway between 9th Street east to 55th Street in 1936.  The corridor was extended west to Edgewater Park following the completion of the Main Avenue Bridge (over the Cuyahoga River) in 1940.  In 1941 the Shoreway was extended east to 140th Street in Bratenahl.  The planned extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was part of the 1944 era master freeway plan for the Cleveland metro area.

The advent of World War II halted a further expansion of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park to the Northwest Freeway.  In 1953 much of Shoreway was funded to be fully converted to modern freeway standards and widen it to eight lanes.  Federal funding via the provisions of the 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act would see the corridor connect on the eastern outskirts of Bratenahl to the Lakeland Freeway by early 1963.

The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park to the Northwest Freeway was cancelled by the early 1960s.  This led to Interstate 90 being rerouted from Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway.  The western extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway is no longer displayed on the 1962 Cuyahoga County Freeway System planning map. 


The Innerbelt Freeway was conceptualized in 1940 as a way to divert traffic out of downtown Cleveland.  The corridor was design to begin at Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and follow a southwest jog which would link up to the Medina Freeway (Interstate 71).  A planning commission for the Innerbelt Freeway was formed in 1948 and the 3.24-mile alignment would be officially adopted in 1949. 

Construction of the Innerbelt Freeway would break ground during December 1954 at the Cuyahoga River Bridge.  The bridge was opened to traffic during August 1959 which would be followed by another segment opening from Chester Avenue east to Cleveland Memorial Shoreway a couple months later in December.  The central portion of the Innerbelt Freeway would open to traffic during August 1962 due to right-of-way acquisition delays.   

The eastern terminus of the Innerbelt Freeway at Cleveland Memorial Shoreway was found to be accident prone shortly after opening.  Despite the curvature being eased and banking being added in 1969 the connector has remained a problem.  The Innerbelt Freeway/Cleveland Memorial Shoreway ramp now carries the nickname "Dead Man's Curve" and is presently signed with a 35 MPH advisory speed limit.  



Part 2; RoadwayWiz on the Innerbelt Freeway and Dead Man's Curve

During 2012 Dan Murphy of the RoadwayWiz YouTube Channel featured real-time drives along the Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland.  Below eastbound Interstate 90 can be followed from Interstate 71/Interstate 490 to Cleveland Memorial Shoreway.  The eastbound approach to Dead Man's Curve can be seen at 3:50-4:20.


Below westbound Interstate 90 can be followed from Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to Interstate 71/Interstate 490.  The westbound approach to Dead Man's Curve can be seen at 0:00-1:20.

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