Current and historic US highway endpoints in Cleveland, OH |
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Cleveland's "ground zero" is the intersection of Superior Avenue and Ontario Street... or more accurately was that intersection, since those two roads no longer actually intersect. The blocks comprising all four corners of this former intersection (lower center of the following aerial photo) are referred to collectively as "Public Square":
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c. 2012
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c. 1932, ODoT
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For the first 45 years of the US highway system, four routes shared a terminus on Public Square (plus US 20 passed through, and later US 6 as well). US 21 was decommissioned in Ohio in 1971, but the remaining three routes (US 42, 322, and 422) still end there. The intersection of Superior/Ontario was the original endpoint for all four routes, but later, according to Ohio DoT's Straight-Line-Diagrams (SLDs), the official endpoint for both US 42 and US 322 was moved one block to the east. In 2015 a redesign for Public Square commenced, and the two blocks of Ontario through the Square were vacated. As a result, when the project was completed in 2016, the four separate sections of Public Square shown in the photo above had been consolidated into two large sections. Now Superior is used only by buses, so all endpoints have been moved by one block (more on all of this below).
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The north edge of Public Square is formed by Rockwell Avenue, while "South Roadway" runs along the south side (in other words, these are the sides of Public Square that are parallel to Superior). Despite what the map above showed, the roads around Public Square that are parallel to Ontario are no longer referred to as "East 2nd" and "West 2nd", but rather "East Roadway" and "West Roadway". At some point, left turns were banned at the intersection of Superior and Ontario. Presumably accompanying this change, these roads running along the outer perimeter of Public Square were converted to one-ways, such that they now essentially function as a giant counter-clockwise rotary surrounding Superior/Ontario. Once that had been implemented, drivers wanting to make a left turn from Superior to Ontario (or vice-versa) instead had to turn right one block before the intersection, onto Public Square. After one block, they turned left (staying on Public Square), and then in one more block they made another left turn, onto their intended street. (Alternatively, one could drive through the Superior/Ontario intersection, make two lefts, and then a right.) Anyway, I suspect this diverting of Superior/Ontario traffic may have been a factor prompting ODOT to change their SLDs, relocating the endpoint of US 42 and US 322 to the east side of Public Square. The Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery contains at least a couple historic photos taken during time periods when all US routes (as well as several state routes) were signposted in Public Square (here and here).
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The photos and descriptions on this page are organized by direction-of-travel. We will begin by approaching Public Square via eastbound Superior. At W. 25th Street, US 6-20-42 all join on eastbound Detroit Street, using the Veterans Memorial Bridge to cross the Cuyahoga River. At the eastern foot of that bridge (W. 9th St.) the road name changes from Detroit to Superior. This photo was looking east on Superior at W. Prospect:
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Karners, Aug. 2010
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That was the last northbound US 42 marker, posted at the time between W. 6th and W. 3rd streets. From that vantage point the Terminal Tower (a Cleveland landmark located on Public Square) is visible in the background. By 2014 an Ohio 3 sign had been added to the bottom of that assembly, and by 2017 the entire assembly had been moved to the W. 3rd Street intersection (where it still remains as of 2024). So this is now the final northbound marker for US 42:
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Google Maps Street View, Sep. 2021
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It would be appropriate to change that "North" tab to "END", since US 42 ends one block ahead, at W. Roadway (although there is no longer any signage to that effect):
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There was also no signage indicating that US 6 and 20 continue to the right on W. Roadway (although perhaps unnecessary since that is now the only movement that can be made at that point). Historically traffic could continue ahead, straight through the Square, and just past W. Roadway were a number of highway signs, all captured in this photo:
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Fannin, July 2007
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Those signs were removed in 2015 when the Public Square reconstruction began. Despite the fact that three different sign panels were used to mark the routes involved at Public Square, there were still some additional state highways that were not referenced! But this page concerns only US routes; here is a close-up of the first sign:
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Morrison, Jul. 2007
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Based on the non-standard design, those signs were presumably put up by the City of Cleveland (as opposed to ODOT), and Marc has narrowed down the date of their installation to roughly 1980 (give or take a couple years).
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At that point, Superior was US 6-42, and originally US 20 probably did come to this point and then turn south on Ontario. However, there was no sign on southbound Ontario directing US 20 traffic to do that, and according to ODOT's SLDs, US 20 actually split off on W. Roadway (and of course it still does that, since Ontario is no longer an option). US 322 technically began one block ahead, at E. Roadway (and it still does), but it was appropriate to sign it there at the traditional terminus. There are other routes involved here -- too many for a single sign. Here was the next signboard:
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Morrison, Jul. 2007
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Formerly US 422 began there, to the right on Ontario. The blank quadrant had a black panel covering a US 21 shield which pointed that direction as well, since that was also the historic north beginning of US 21. Just ahead US 42 had its own "End" assembly, installed sometime between 2004 and 2006:
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Morrison, Jul. 2007
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Just ahead from there was the actual intersection with Ontario, and this Street View photo was taken back when that still existed (July 2014):
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Originally that was the north end of US 42. To the right on Ontario was the north beginning of US 21 and the west beginning of US 422. Straight ahead on Superior was the west beginning of US 322. Just past Ontario was another "Public-Square-style" sign panel, this one stating that the traveler was on eastbound US 6 and eastbound US 322:
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Karners, Aug. 2010
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By the time of that photo, US 322 technically began one block ahead, at E. Roadway (the same place where it still begins today). Likewise, US 42 technically ended at the same place (E. Roadway), and an "End" assembly installed in 2011 confirmed that:
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Fannin, Dec. 2012
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Here is a July 2014 Street View which shows the E. Roadway intersection, where US 322 began (and still begins), and where northbound US 42 ended until 2015:
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A few blocks ahead (just past E. 9th St.) there was a standard reassurance assembly that included the first eastbound US 322 marker:
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Hascall, Oct. 2007
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That was removed sometime after 2009, and now the first reference to US 322 does not appear until E. 13th St, where US 322 traffic is directed to turn south:
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GMSV, Jul. 2021
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After two blocks on 13th, US 322 is supposed to turn east again on Chester Avenue, although there is no signage indicating that. Drivers who successfully make that turn immediately encounter the first reassurance marker:
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GMSV, Jul. 2021
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 Heading the opposite direction (west on Chester), the last standalone westbound US 322 marker is at E. 30th St. approaching the I-90 interchange:
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GMSV, Jul. 2022
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Another sign directs US 322 traffic to turn north on 13th, and then at Superior a sign shows that US 322 continues west with US 6:
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GMSV, Sep. 2018
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Formerly traffic making that left turn immediately encountered one more reassurance marker, but by 2016 this had been removed:
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GMSV, Aug. 2015
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The two routes continue ahead for a few more blocks, and then US 322 ends at E. Roadway (while US 6 continues by turning right, the only movement that can be made at that point):
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Historically both routes continued ahead, with US 322 ending at Ontario, US 21 and 422 beginning to the left on Ontario, and US 42 beginning straight ahead on Superior. This July 2014 photo was taken back when the Superior/Ontario intersection still existed:
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About halfway to the next block (W. Roadway) was the first southbound US 42 marker:
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Morrison, Jul. 2007
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Marc reports that during the 1980s, that assembly was more of a "Public-Square-style" signboard (rather than the standard DOT assembly pictured there). That assembly was removed during the Public Square redesign in 2015.
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Today the north beginning of US 42 is at W. Roadway...
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...although there is no indication of that until W. 6th St:
GMSV, Aug. 2024
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...and US 6 / US 20 are not acknowledged until the Veterans Memorial Bridge:
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Next we will head south from Superior on Ontario; this 2011 image shows how that perspective looked prior to the Public Square redesign:
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Historically US 322 began to the left on Superior, and US 42 began to the right. Straight ahead on Ontario was the beginning of US 21 and US 422.
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Barely visible in that image was a sign panel, shown close-up here:
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Morrison, Jul. 2007
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The blacked-out panel covered up a "South US 21" shield, visible in this screen capture from a 1986 video:
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c. 1986 (linked to source)
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Despite the fact that US 21 was decommissioned in Ohio in 1967, the US 21 shields remained on display at this intersection for another three decades (until 1998 or 1999). Marc offers an explanation for this: he has found photos from both 1976 and 1978 showing standard (standalone) ODOT markers at this intersection, including one for US 21. He suspects that the creators of these "Public-Square-style" signs simply copied the routes that had formerly been posted at the intersection... including US 21, which ODOT had not replaced with SH 21 signs in a timely manner.
Today the first reference to US 422 appears a few blocks ahead, on a sign bridge near Progressive Field... |
GMSV, Aug. 2024
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...and the first ground-mounted US 422 sign is just beyond the I-90 underpass:
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GMSV, Aug. 2024:
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Turning around (heading northbound on Ontario), the final westbound US 422 marker is just north of E. 9th St...
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GMSV, Aug. 2021
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...although formerly there was another assembly at Progressive Field:
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GMSV, Jun. 2011 (gone by 2014)
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Today US 422 ends a few blocks ahead, at S. Roadway...
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...although historically it continued ahead one more block to Superior, as did US 21. This sign panel was formerly posted on Ontario between S. Roadway and Superior:
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Fannin, Aug. 1999
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That was the west end of US 422, and the historic north end of US 21. Historically, US 322 began to the right, while US 42 began to the left. But traffic was not allowed to make that movement, so the intention of the sign above was for drivers to make two lefts around Public Square, and then a right on Superior. But unfortunately, there was no follow-up signage ahead for that routing. And even if one correctly negotiated that movement, when they got back to Superior, signage was underwhelming...
Fannin, Aug. 1999
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...no mention of US 20 or US 42. But historically those routes got a little more respect:
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Diana McNees, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 1978
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That was taken from the same perspective (south on W. Roadway) by a newspaper photographer in 1978.
In summary, Public Square is a fascinating intersection: all the highways that converge here attest to its significance to the city of Cleveland. Historically, highway signage was abundant here, although there were several omissions, in addition to several idiosyncrasies and/or mistakes. And after the Public Square redesign, highway signage is virtually non-existent. |
Research and/or photo credits: Robert Droz; Marc Fannin; Dave Hascall; Karin and Martin Karner; Jeff Morrison; Greg Rider; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 2007;
last updated Apr. 26, 2025.
last updated Apr. 26, 2025.
