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Images meant to evoke concert-goers or sports fans with arms upraised in celebration will go on the bridge portals to downtown where traffic on East Ninth and Ontario streets flows under Interstate 90. The redesign of this Gateway-district bridge is included in the second phase of the Inner Belt overhaul -- construction of the eastbound span scheduled to open in late 2016.

(Ohio Department of Transportation)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The ramp reconfiguration that will make for smoother exits off Interstate 90 into downtown Cleveland will come with other enhancements, including easier access to the Flats, more green space and bridge "portals" intended as a welcoming gateway to the city.

The changes are part of the $273 million, eastbound Inner Belt Bridge construction now underway, with the span scheduled to open in 2016 and join the new westbound bridge that is carrying traffic in both directions until then.

The rusting span of the 1959 Inner Belt Bridge came down in a split-second controlled demolition in July.

The land within the redesigned, more gently looping East 9th Street and Ontario Avenue exit ramps off the second Inner Belt Bridge, northbound, will be terraced and set off with bands of multicolored flowers and plants, according to Ohio Department of Transportation plans. The new ramps' flattened-out curves are expected to be safer and faster to navigate.

The changes include:

• A direct link to the east bank of the Flats from the East 9th Street exit off the I-90 bridge, because there will be not only a northbound loop into downtown but also a southbound leg via the East 9th Street Extension that opened in 2012.

• More green space with landscaping, trees and terraces in the middle of the new East 9th and Ontario exit loops.

• Portals that serve as defined archways into the center of the city, that drivers will pass through as they get around the loops and head into downtown. The East 9th portal has a crowd of silhouetted figures with raised arms.

"It's very much open to interpretation, but it can stand for a crowd of people at a concert or a sporting event. And there's a lot of great reasons to be cheering about Cleveland right now," Inner Belt spokeswoman Jocelynn Clemings said.

ODOT said it has worked closely since 2012 with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Gateway and downtown stakeholders on the look and feel of the area.

The purple line shows the location of the bike-pedestrian path that will open on the west side of Ontario Street/Orange Avenue once work on the Inner Belt Bridge is complete in 2016. It will hook up with the East 9th Street Extension, the route into and out of the Flats that opened in 2012.

• A multi-use path along the west side of Ontario Street/Orange Avenue that will connect to the new East 9th Street extension into the Flats and to East 14th Street. Upgraded sidewalks will be added along the east side of Orange Avenue and East 9th Street.

• The removal of three bridge overpasses, which translates into less money spent on maintenance, inspections and repairs.

"It is a complete remake of that entire area," Clemings said.

Pittsburgh-based Trumbull Corp., The Great Lakes Construction Co. of Hinckley and The Ruhlin Co. of Sharon Center in Medina County, along with designer URS Corp., are building the eastbound span of the George V. Voinovich replacement Inner Belt Bridge.

Construction on the new westbound Inner Belt Bridge was winding down a year ago. It opened shortly before Thanksgiving, carrying vehicles in both directions for the time being.

The Inner Belt makeover in its entirety has seven phases stretching out to 2027 and beyond and costing an estimated $3.5 billion.