271 in AM rush hour? (Cleveland, Twinsburg: sales, live in, eat)

[ohchicadee]

Hey all.

I live outside the Cleveland metro and have to make it to Beachwood by 8am for my new job. How is the traffic on I-271 N during the AM rush?

Also, if anyone suggests an alternative route (I like to know different routes...cos you never know!), it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[PoshSteve]

its not pretty, and the worst will be when you get off the freeway in beachwood. but where are you coming from?

[ohioaninsc]

My mom and stepdad live in Pepper Pike off the Chagrin Road exit...morning rush and evening rush is bad there...my mom if she has no sales appts takes the rapid into downtown because of that...she only drives if she has to drive somewhere for a presentation or meeting of some kind.

It will only get worse once Eaton opens their new World HQs out there in Beachwood.

As for alternatives, where are you coming from and what road or area of Beachwood are you working in?

[cali3448893]

Its not bad try driving on cincinnati freeways i swear i been to nyc and i really do think some part of cincinnati have worst traffic then nyc.

[WRosado]

Nice thing about 271 is it has express lanes in the center of the freeway. Though, it is extremely backed up on the ramps during rush hour. Beachwood certainly has a traffic problem. And like others have said, with the growth that is happening in Beachwood and the Chagrin Highlands area, expect it to get worse in the future. Where exactly does your route have you driving in from?

[Marty711]

^ The express lanes help a lot through Beachwood itself. While the ramps can get backed up, 271 still moves although it can be a slow pace.

Probably the worst part of 271 for full blown traffic jams is south of Beachwood. Coming north, you will experience some very bad backups between Route 8 and the 480, 422 and Rockside ramps. Pretty much every morning, theres at least some backups through there. I don't think there's a real good way around that, at least depending on where you're coming from.

[ohchicadee]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Looks like I better leave a half an hour earlier just in case! I hope that will be enough.

I will be coming in from the Turnpike/480N.

[Cleveland_Collector]

The worst time is between about 7:15 and 8:00am. If you hit the 480/422/271 interchange by 7:15, you should be ok. When I'm in town, I drive it nearly every day. If I want to be at work by 8, I leave no later than 7am.

[WRosado]

Originally Posted by ohchicadee

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Looks like I better leave a half an hour earlier just in case! I hope that will be enough.

I will be coming in from the Turnpike/480N.

Good to know.

480 is not bad during rush hour from the Turnpike to 271, the rest of 480 during rush hour is a different story. Your commute should not have you dealing with the other sections of 480. It will be a heavy stream of traffic during peak commutes, but traffic usually always moves the speed limit from Streetsboro, Twinsburg, up to 271.

Watch when you get to 271 north, though. If you're in the left lane where 480 merges with 271, you will be in the same exact lane as commuters of 271. I have seen so many people swipe each other during rush hour because they weren't paying attention. That, or they didn't want to speed up/slow down while the other car approaches. Cleveland has a well designed freeway network, but this is one of my biggest complaints in the metro. It seems very prevalent all over Cleveland where one lane from one major freeway is the same lane entering another freeway. I wish they had separate lanes when entering. I haven't noticed it as much in a lot of other cities. Anyway, sorry to sound redundant. Your commute will not be bad, and you are dealing with a great route to Beachwood. You should be lucky you do not have to deal with any areas around downtown or places along the westside (which I have found worse possibly because I am an eastsider). One of the worst interchanges in my opinion during rush hour is I-77/I-480. That is completely subjective.

[ohchicadee]

Thanks Cleveland_Collector and WRosado for the additional tips! I really appreciate it!

I wish there was an alternative to 480 (outerbelt) as I have to venture that route too in the future. I have only driven it during the early afternoon hours when traffic was light to moderate, but still crazy lol.