Readers sound off on Northeast Ohio's construction chaos
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
We asked for your thoughts on Cleveland becoming The Land of Construction in 2026 — it seems most of you were happy to have somewhere to vent.
What we learned: No one really likes construction, which appears to be taking place all over Northeast Ohio.
Here's a smattering of responses:
Kevin K. I live in West Park, specifically Kamm's Corners. We are in construction hell everywhere we go. Kamm's itself has been constantly worked on all summer. I-90 sucks from Hilliard on. Each day seems to bring more detours on our very crappy roads. Ugh.
Jeffrey D.: I understand roads need to be repaired, but what in heaven's name is going on with I-490? We are now in the fourth or fifth year of reconstruction and it doesn't look like they have made a dent in the repair.
Isaac H.: Everyone wants infrastructure repair and improvements, but no one wants traffic impacts. Cleveland has a lot of aging infrastructure. Our highways were all built around the same time, and now they're up for full reconstruction. We should be thankful that this construction is taking place rather than complaining about it.
Mark W.: Making it from Rocky River to downtown reminds me of navigating the Cross Bronx Expressway and then Midtown Manhattan in the late 1970s. Only New York City has more than 10 times our population. Why isn't more work done during nighttime hours everywhere?
Jay W.: I remember a slew of comedians at the Front Row Theater making jokes about Cleveland being "the orange cone capital of America," so it's good to see that hasn't changed.
💠Troy's thought bubble: Misery loves company, and apparently so do orange traffic barrels.
- Most of you agree the work is necessary. You just wish Northeast Ohio didn't feel like one giant construction zone all at the same time.