In 1971, construction of the Outerbelt South Freeway (I-480) began on both sides of the Cuyahoga River valley, in Valley View and Independence. To join the sections, two parallel bridge decks (one for westbound traffic and the other for eastbound traffic) were constructed. Each section consists of 93-foot (28m) 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.[citation needed] The bridges opened in 1977 providing access to the nearby Willow Freeway (I-77).
In 2010, the bridge received the honorary name "Union Workers Memorial Bridge".[6]
In 2011, ODOT began 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 was $4.4 million.[7][8]
In 2016, ODOT announced that a third bridge would be built in between the two outer bridges, which then would undergo extended repairs.[9] The third bridge, which had been planned along with the other two bridges in the 1970s,[10] was constructed from 2018 to 2020[3] and was retained after the bridge replacement phase ended in 2022, creating a bypass of the interchanges on each end of the bridge while functioning as express lanes.[1][11] The ribbon cutting for the middle bridge occurred on June 12, 2023.[12]
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.[citation needed]
On February 17, 1986, a driver was rescued when his semi-truck partially left the bridge.[14]
In February 1996, a car fell from the bridge, killing the driver.[15][16]
In March 1997, police and the fire department responded to a dangling semi-truck. The driver was safely rescued.[7][17]
On February 22, 2011, a semi-truck driver was killed when his cab fell off the bridge.[4]
On June 25, 2013, during a severe storm, a couple of highway signs fell down hitting two cars and injuring one person.[18]
On December 14, 2017, while attempting to elude police, a man drove down the steep embankment that separates the two spans of the bridge.[19]
In March 2024, A fire broke out at a landscaping company located on Canal Road. The fire was started in a mulch bed that quickly grew sending flames and smoke straight up to the bridge during the morning rush hour.
123Rudder, John (January 6, 2020). "Upon completion, I-480 Valley View bridge will carry 12 lanes of traffic across Cuyahoga River Valley". WEWS-TV. Retrieved January 7, 2020. At any given time, 180,000 vehicles use the I-480 Valley View bridges which sit high above the Cuyahoga River Valley at 215 feet. [...] [Amanda McFarland, spokesperson, Ohio Department of Transportation District 12:] This middle bridge is going remain and it's going to carry two lanes in each direction. It will kind of serve as like an express lane and it will help motorists who don't want to access the 77 interchange to bypass it.
↑"I-480 Valley View bridge deck replacement set to begin" (Press release). Ohio Department of Transportation District 12. November 30, 2017. Upon completion of the westbound bridge deck in fall 2022, the new bridge will remain in operation and carry two lanes in each direction. The two westbound lanes on the new bridge will bypass the I-77 interchange for those motorists wanting to continue on I-480. In the eastbound direction, the two lanes on the new bridge will by-pass the Transportation Blvd. exit.
