I-470 westbound is open to one lane of traffic just west of the Ohio/West Virginia state line.

The Ohio 7 on-ramp to I-470 West is open, however, the I-470 ramp to Ohio 7 will be remained closed for several hours while crews continue to remove the overhead sign and clear debris from the ramp.

10:30 a.m. update

An Ohio Interstate sign has fallen onto Interstate 470 westbound just west of the Ohio-West Virginia state line after a dump truck struck the sign, according to the Northeast Ohio Regional Public Information Officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation Amanda McFarland.

The right lane of the roadway is currently blocked, with McFarland stating the left lane will eventually be closed to take down the rest of the overhead sign.

The dump truck also struck the Ohio 7 Bridge, now closed for ODOT crews to do safety inspections out of “an abundance of caution” said McFarland.

It is unknown whether there were any hazardous materials involved in the crash.

The sign fell at around 9 a.m., according to McFarland, and there is no time estimate currently for how long it will take ODOT highway crews to clean up the sign.

“We don’t know for sure at this time if we’re going to need to call in a contractor to help us remove the sign or if our crews have the tools to do it,” explained McFarland.

Original story

Interstate 470 West near the Ohio-West Virginia border is blocked and traffic is backing up on that stretch of interstate after an overhead sign snapped and fell across the roadway.

The sign stretches across westbound I-470 just past the Veterans Memorial Bridge. According to traffic maps from both the West Virginia and Ohio departments of transportation, traffic is at a near standstill. Motorists should avoid the area and consider using I-70 if traveling west into Ohio.

Return to theintelligencer.net later for more on this developing story.