The freeway begins at a partial interchange with I-70 in Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio. An exit for County Road 28 (CR 28), the second-last exit for westbound traffic, provides motorists access to US 40. The highway curves to the southeast, passing near the Belmont Memorial Park and through woodlands. I-70 forms part of the northeastern border of Neffs, Pease Township, and briefly parallels High Ridge Road (CR 214) then meets it at a diamond interchange in Pultney Township. High Ridge Road to the north connects back to I-70, and to the south links Bellaire to the bypass. I-470 continues easterly into a valley before intersecting a trumpet interchange leading to another interchange with State Route 7 (SR 7) along the western banks of the Ohio River. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge carries I-470 over three rail lines and the Ohio River (the state line between Ohio and West Virginia). The rail lines on the western banks of the river belong to the Norfolk Southern Railway and the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway's River Subdivision. The American Automobile Association considers the stretch of I-470 though Ohio to be a scenic highway due to its natural beauty.