• Home
  • Food & Drink
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Restaurant Reviews
      • Best Restaurants
      • Home Cooking
      • Fish Fry Guide
      • Restaurant Guide
      • Beer Guide
      • Best Bakeries
  • Things To Do
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Travel
      • Outdoors
      • Date Night
      • Summer Fun Guide
      • Insider's Guide
  • In the CLE
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • News
      • The Read
      • Politics
      • Sports
      • People
      • Commentary
      • Terminal
      • Faces of Cleveland
      • How CLE Are You
  • Entertainment
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Museums & Galleries
      • Books
      • Music
      • Film & TV
      • Theater & Dance
  • At Home
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Rating the Suburbs
      • Distinctive Homes
      • Community Publications
      • Home Buyers Guide
      • Top Real Estate Agents
      • Home Building & Remodeling
  • Style
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Shops & Boutiques
      • Style Makers
      • What to Wear
      • Elegant Wedding
      • Shopping Guide
      • Holiday Gift Guide
  • Health
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Best Doctors
      • Retirement Living
      • Faces of Care
      • Find a Top Doctor
  • Education
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Private Schools
      • Kids A-Z
      • College 101
  • C-Leader
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Business
      • Community
      • Government
      • Business Hall of Fame and Community Leader of the Year Awards
      • Calendar
      • Cleveland 500
      • Women of Distinction
  • Best Of
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Best of Cleveland
      • Best Restaurants
      • Faces of Care
      • Rating the Suburbs
      • Best Doctors
      • Best of the East
      • Best of the West
      • Best of the Best
  • Subscribe Or Renew
  • In This Issue
  • Archives
  • Careers & Internships
  • Advertise
    • Back
    • Current Stories
      • Magazine Advertising
      • Website Advertising
      • Digital Solutions
      • Event Sponsorships
  • Contact Us
  • Close
  • Menu
  • Events
  • In This Issue
  • Archives
  • Contact Us
  • Menu
  • Food & Drink
    • Current Stories
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Best Restaurants
    • Home Cooking
    • Fish Fry Guide
    • Restaurant Guide
    • Beer Guide
    • Best Bakeries
  • Things To Do
    • Current Stories
    • Travel
    • Outdoors
    • Date Night
    • Summer Fun Guide
    • Insider's Guide
  • In the CLE
    • Current Stories
    • News
    • The Read
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • People
    • Commentary
    • Terminal
    • Faces of Cleveland
    • How CLE Are You
  • Entertainment
    • Current Stories
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Books
    • Music
    • Film & TV
    • Theater & Dance
  • At Home
    • Current Stories
    • Rating the Suburbs
    • Distinctive Homes
    • Community Publications
    • Home Buyers Guide
    • Top Real Estate Agents
    • Home Building & Remodeling
  • Style
    • Current Stories
    • Shops & Boutiques
    • Style Makers
    • What to Wear
    • Elegant Wedding
    • Shopping Guide
    • Holiday Gift Guide
  • Health
    • Current Stories
    • Best Doctors
    • Retirement Living
    • Faces of Care
    • Find a Top Doctor
  • Education
    • Current Stories
    • Private Schools
    • Kids A-Z
    • College 101
  • C-Leader
    • Current Stories
    • Business
    • Community
    • Government
    • Business Hall of Fame and Community Leader of the Year Awards
    • Calendar
    • Cleveland 500
    • Women of Distinction
  • Best Of
    • Current Stories
    • Best of Cleveland
    • Best Restaurants
    • Faces of Care
    • Rating the Suburbs
    • Best Doctors
    • Best of the East
    • Best of the West
    • Best of the Best

Trending 2022's Reader-Voted Silver Spoon Winners

Subscribe / Renew

Best Ways to Avoid the Innerbelt

How long is your commute?

Most respondents have it good, with 41percent driving less than 15 minutes to work. But for the 51 percent of you whose commute stretches up to 45 minutes and for the 8 percent who travel about an hour, check out this insider's guide to avoiding the Innerbelt.

By now, we all know the drill. Every morning, the traffic reports are essentially the same: Traffic is slow on I-77 North from Pleasant Valley to Rockside Road and again at the 480 merge. Things are moving slow on the I-71 North MetroHealth curve onto the Innerbelt Bridge and I-90 West is backed up from the West 41st Street exit into downtown.

So is there really any way to avoid these traffic snarls? We found four shortcuts that can steer you around the dreaded Innerbelt bottleneck and make your commute in and out of the city's core a little easier. (Note to ODOT: The gigantic signs telling us that there's an accident ahead do not speed up our commute — they only get the rubberneckers all jacked up about seeing some crumpled metal.)

The East 55th Prospect

Who Should Use It: An afternoon shortcut best for those who work near University Circle and live in the western or southern suburbs. If you can't stand hitting every light on East 55th Street or hate waiting on the Chester Avenue I-90W entrance forever, this shortcut is for you.

• Take Chester Avenue heading west.

• Turn left onto East 55th Street.

• Turn right onto Prospect Avenue and get on I-90W to I-77S.

•From there, you can stay on I-77S or, if heading west or southwest, take I-490W to avoid the Innerbelt and then merge onto I-90W or I-71S.

The Tour de Steel

Who Should Use It: This morning shortcut is best for the detail-oriented I-77N commuter.

• Exit I-77 at Fleet Avenue and turn left onto Fleet.

•Turn right onto Independence Road, which will take you through Newburgh Heights and on past the steel mills before it dead-ends into Broadway.

•Turn left onto Broadway (which will become Rockefeller Avenue for a short time) and follow it all the way in to East 14th and East Ninth streets.

The Forgotten Highway

Who Should Use It: Everyone. To those in the know, it's called the Jennings Freeway (though no road sign designates it as such). To the outsider, it's marked as state Route 176. To the commuter, it's a secret weapon.

•I-71N morning commuters can take 480E to 176N to 490W to Broadway (this avoids the MetroHealth curve and the Innerbelt).

•I-71S afternoon commuters can take I-77S to I-490W to SR 176S to I-480W to I-71S, again avoiding the MetroHealth curve and the Innerbelt.

•Those on the West Side heading south or east of downtown can take I-90E to 176S to I-480E and stay on 480 to head east or exit onto I-77S to head south.

The I-90E Fakeout

Who Should Use It: This route is best for those heading to work downtown from the western suburbs.

•Stay in the two left lanes of I-90E. They will eventually become I-490E.

• Exit at Broadway Avenue.

• Turn left onto Broadway Avenue, which takes you to East 14th and East Ninth streets.

Share this story:

best of cleveland

12:00 AM EST

September 22, 2004

Related Articles

Best Of Cleveland 2021: 50+ Editors' Picks For Best Bites, Bands, Products And More

Cleveland is vibrant, bold and beautiful. In celebration of our city's best and brightest, we've gathered more than 50 hot spots, edible creations, musical acts and pop-up experiences to help you live your best life in the CLE.

Best Of CLE: Sweet Costo's Limited-Edition Themed Desserts

After becoming a full-time chef last year, West Side pastry chef Shelby Costo unveiled offerings that were timed with Swift's new releases.

Best Of CLE: 3 Area DIY Classes To Learn A New Talent

Whether it's baking or jewelry making, these DIY classes from Little Birdie Wine Nest, Cleveland Rocks Beads and Jewelry and Annie's Signature Sweets will help you find your next favorite hobby.

Hot in Cleveland

  • Cleveland's 25 Best Restaurants
  • Best Restaurants: Cleveland's 10 Best New Restaurants
  • The 2022 Cleveland Asian Festival Returns May 21-22
  • Best Places To Live: Cleveland's Top 20 Suburbs
  • Cleveland Sandwich Co. Is Chef Kevin O'Connell's Redemption Song
  • The History Behind Cleveland’s Guardians Of Traffic

Twitter Feed

  • Cleveland Magazine @ClevelandMag

    RT @PrayerfromMaria: Treat others as you wish to be treated. Do small things with great love. https://t.co/1oK9rVC1Ak via @ClevelandMag

    16 hours ago

  • Cleveland Magazine @ClevelandMag

    RT @StinaAleah: Thank you @ClevelandMag I absolutely love this article and am truly honored!

    16 hours ago

  • Cleveland Magazine @ClevelandMag

    ICYMI: The Last Page is this year's best new restaurant, but it's far from the only spot that impressed us over the… https://t.co/VmRQdPsyrd

    19 hours ago

  • Cleveland Magazine @ClevelandMag

    🍔 Between 1940 and 1970, Clevelanders found a love for this fast food joint. https://t.co/XlMW6h2GBf

    23 hours ago

Load More Tweets
  • Subscribe
    • Renewal
  • About Us
    • Careers / Internships
    • In This Issue
    • Privacy & Legal
  • Cleveland Magazine Events
    • Best of Cleveland
    • Best of the East
    • Best of the West
    • Best of the Best
    • Business Hall of Fame
    • Faces of Care
    • Silver Spoons
    • CLEtix
  • Advertise
    • Magazine Advertising
    • Website Advertising
    • Digital Solutions
    • Event Sponsorships
  • Social
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

© 2017 Cleveland Magazine. All rights reserved.